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Glite Dictionary
St. Vitus

St. Vitus

9.7
A Christian saint people pray to for help with epilepsy and sudden uncontrolled movements
  • proper noun
translation icon : San Vito
  • Many people pray to St. Vitus for healing.

Examples

  • Many medieval churches were dedicated to St. Vitus across Europe.

  • The festival of St. Vitus is celebrated on June 15th in some countries.

  • She prayed to St. Vitus for relief from her illness.

  • The festival of St. Vitus is celebrated every June.

  • Many medieval churches were dedicated to St. Vitus across Europe.

  • She prayed to St. Vitus for relief from her illness.

  • The festival of St. Vitus is celebrated on June 15th in some countries.

Synonyms

Vitus
vsSt. Vitus
2 9.9

A Christian saint from about year 300 who people pray to for protection from epilepsy

is identical in meaning but focuses on veneration rather than death date

Surface Forms

St. Vitus main

Morphology

St. + Vitus

The label 'St.' (saint) plus the proper name 'Vitus' makes it clear to a learner that this refers to a particular saint, so the basic identity is compositional. However, the detailed sense — that he is a Christian martyr specifically venerated as patron of epilepsy and Sydenham's chorea (St. Vitus' dance) — is encyclopedic and not predictable from the parts, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

St. Vitus was an early Christian martyr people prayed to when someone had fits or strange movements. One popular story says that at his festivals people would dance or have fits near his shrine, and that's why his name is used for the old term 'St. Vitus' dance', meaning sudden, uncontrolled movements.