Saint Nicholas
- proper noun
:
San Nicolás
- It was bestowed upon me by Saint Nicholas.
Examples
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Children in some European countries still receive gifts on Saint Nicholas Day in December.
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But Saint Nicholas wanted a holiday in which everyone took care of one another.
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Many Christmas traditions can be traced back to Saint Nicholas and his acts of generosity.
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The legend of Saint Nicholas inspired the modern image of Santa Claus.
Synonyms
259
3.4
A fourth-century bishop from Myra who is a saint and inspired Santa Claus
1
5.7
A 4th-century church leader who gave gifts to children and inspired Santa Claus
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositional in that it combines 'saint' + the proper name 'Nicholas', so a learner who knows those words can infer it refers to a saint named Nicholas. However, the specific historical and cultural associations (4th‑century bishop, generosity, basis for Santa Claus and gift‑giving) are encyclopedic and not derivable from the constituents, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
Saint Nicholas was a 4th-century bishop famous for secretly giving gifts to poor people. One popular story says he dropped gold coins that landed in stockings, so today Saint Nicholas is linked to 'bringing gifts' and is the model for 'Santa Claus'.