patron saint
18
4.9
- noun
- /ˈpeɪtrən seɪnt/
:
santo patrón
- The festival celebrates St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes, with a special service.
- patron saint's fiesta
- patron saint of the city
- local patron saint
Examples
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Saint Elmo, the patron saint of sailors.
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It's Saint Jude, the patron saint of lost causes.
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Uh... the patron saint of soldiers.
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- Oh, the patron saint of lost causes?
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St Christopher, patron saint of travel.
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- The patron saint of prisoners.
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He's the patron saint of all the Irish.
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She's the patron saint of dentists.
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I sing at festivals, at weddings, at the feast of my family's patron saint.
Fiction book (1997) -
In the Andes, dances are performed in honor of San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of agriculturalists.
Academic text (1996)
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: a 'saint' who serves as a 'patron' (protector or guardian) of a group or place. This interpretation is predictable from the constituent meanings and is mirrored in many languages (e.g., Spanish 'santo patrón'), so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Patron saint comes from a long-ago Christian idea: a town, trade, or group would pick a holy person, a saint, to be their special patron or 'protector'. That's why calling someone a patron saint means they are the special protector for a place, job, or group.