St. Crispin

1 9.9

A Christian saint who is the patron of shoemakers and was killed for his faith in the third century

proper noun

: San Crispín

Many shoemakers celebrate the feast of St. Crispin as a tradition in their craft.

Examples

Many shoemakers celebrate St. Crispin on his feast day.
Shakespeare referenced St. Crispin in his famous "St. Crispin's Day" speech in Henry V.
The church was dedicated to St. Crispin and his brother, who were both martyred.
Did you know that St. Crispin is the patron saint of shoemakers?
Many shoemakers celebrate the feast of St. Crispin as a tradition in their craft.
Did you know that St. Crispin is the patron saint of shoemakers?
The church was dedicated to St. Crispin and his brother, who were both martyred.

Synonyms

Saint Crispin

vsSt. Crispin

1 9.9

A Christian saint martyred in the 3rd century who is the patron of shoemakers

is the same meaning but uses an abbreviated form of the name

Crispin

vsSt. Crispin

1 9.9

A Christian saint from the third century who is the protector of shoemakers and was killed for his faith

focuses on joint martyrdom with a brother rather than alone

Surface Forms

St. Crispin main

Morphology

St. + Crispin

The abbreviation 'St.' clearly signals 'Saint', so a learner who knows the constituents can infer that this is the name of a saint (i.e. a saintly person called Crispin). However, the detailed meaning (patron of shoemakers, martyrdom, historical context) is world-knowledge and not derivable from the name itself, so the expression is only partially predictable from its parts.

Etymology

St. Crispin is the name of a man who long ago made shoes and, with his brother, was killed for teaching Christianity. Shoemakers kept a special feast for him, and after Shakespeare used 'St. Crispin's Day' to celebrate close friendship and courage, the name came to mean both an important saint for shoemakers and the idea of comradeship.