St. John Chrysostom

1 9.9

A fourth-century Christian church leader famous for powerful sermons

proper noun

: San Juan Crisóstomo

As Archbishop of Constantinople, St. John Chrysostom became renowned for his eloquent homilies.

Examples

The feast day of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated by several Christian denominations.
Many sermons of St. John Chrysostom are still read in Christian liturgy today.
Many people admire St. John Chrysostom for his eloquent sermons.
Did St. John Chrysostom really say that?
As Archbishop of Constantinople, St. John Chrysostom became renowned for his eloquent homilies.
Many sermons of St. John Chrysostom are still read in Christian liturgy today.
The feast day of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated by several Christian denominations.

Synonyms

John Chrysostom

vsSt. John Chrysostom

1 9.9

An important early Christian church leader from the fourth century known for his powerful sermons

is the same person but uses the honorific title abbreviation

Surface Forms

St. John Chrysostom main

Morphology

St. + John + Chrysostom

This is a proper name/title referring to a specific historical person; knowing the parts ('St.' as saint and 'John' as a name) does not allow a learner to infer that he was an early Church Father, preacher, or Archbishop. 'Chrysostom' is not a transparent lexical element for most learners, and proper names are referential rather than compositional, so the full meaning cannot be derived from the constituents.

Etymology

St. John Chrysostom has a name that is a compliment: Chrysostom means 'golden mouth' in Greek because people said his speaking was so powerful it was like gold. That's why he is remembered as a great preacher and a saint.