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Glite Dictionary
🙏 Patron of travelers 🏝️ A Caribbean island
St. Christopher

St. Christopher

6.8
A Christian saint believed to protect travellers who carried a child across a river
  • proper noun
translation icon : San Cristóbal
  • My little medal of St. Christopher, to bring me luck and deliver...

Examples

  • St. Christopher.

    Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

  • Many travelers carry a St. Christopher medal for protection during their journeys.

  • Thank God, my St. Christopher.

    Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

  • Did you or did you not tell me you saw Corwin Earle with the medallion of St. Christopher around his fucking wrist?

    Gone Baby Gone (2007)

  • Johnny Pietro was wearing the medallion of St. Christopher, patron saint of... Johnny Pietro and his medallion.

    Gone Baby Gone (2007)

  • At the church, they offered prayers asking St. Christopher to keep them safe while traveling.

  • I often see St. Christopher statues in cars, believed to protect drivers on the road.

Synonyms

Christopher
vsSt. Christopher
942 6.7

A Christian saint often shown carrying the Christ child across a river

emphasizes belief about when he lived rather than timing of veneration
Saint Christopher
vsSt. Christopher
8.1

A 3rd-century Christian who is the patron saint of travelers

uses an abbreviated religious title instead of the full form

Surface Forms

St. Christopher main

Morphology

St. + Christopher

The form is compositionally transparent: it combines 'St.' (Saint) with the personal name 'Christopher', so a B1 learner who knows those constituents will recognize it as the name of a saint or a place named after a saint. The exact factual referent (the specific island) requires world knowledge, but the morphological structure and meaning are predictable from the parts.

Etymology

St. Christopher comes from a popular story about a very strong man who carried a small child across a dangerous river; the child was Jesus and grew heavier as they crossed. Because he helped travellers by carrying them, people began to see St. Christopher as a protector and wear his medals for 'safety' when they travel.