Saint Joseph
- proper noun
- Many Christians celebrate Saint Joseph on March 19.
Examples
-
Parishes dedicated to Saint Joseph often hold processions and feasts for the holiday.
-
Many Catholics attend Mass on Saint Joseph to honor the earthly father of Jesus.
-
In Italy, Saint Joseph is celebrated with special pastries and traditions on March 19.
-
Parishes dedicated to Saint Joseph often hold processions and feasts for the holiday.
-
Did you attend the Saint Joseph feast last year?
-
In Italy, Saint Joseph is celebrated with special pastries and traditions on March 19.
-
Many Catholics attend Mass on Saint Joseph to honor the earthly father of Jesus.
Synonyms
A Christian holy day that honors Joseph, Mary's husband and Jesus' foster father
A Christian day that honors Saint Joseph, Mary's husband
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'saint' (a holy or venerated person) combined with the proper name 'Joseph' yields the holy figure Saint Joseph, and by extension celebrations named for him (e.g., Saint Joseph's Day). This proper-name + title pattern is cross-linguistically common and therefore readily inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Saint Joseph is the name of a 'feast day' for Saint Joseph, the husband of Mary. The day on March 19 honors his role as Jesus's earthly father, so today Saint Joseph can mean the holiday people celebrate.