patron saint

noun

1. a saint regarded as the special guardian of a person, group, trade, country, etc.

patron saint

noun

1. a saint regarded as the particular guardian of a country, church, trade, person, etc

patron saint

1. A saint from whom a person or group claims special protection or prayers. Saint Christopher , for example, is considered the patron of travelers; Saint Luke, the patron of doctors; and Saint Patrick , the patron of Ireland . People who have the same name as a saint may consider the saint their patron. The honoring of patron saints is especially common in the Roman Catholic Church .

Word History and Origins

Origin of patron saint¹

First recorded in 1710–20

Example Sentences

The Archangel Michael is the patron saint of police officers, so I wanted to ask Jurado if her pendant was a sly dig at her antagonists.

From Los Angeles Times

“My dad gave it to me a few weeks ago,” she responded, adding that it’s the patron saint of his hometown in the Philippines.

From Los Angeles Times

The Samaritans passed a small shrine to St. Jude — the patron saint of lost causes — on the Mexico side.

From Los Angeles Times

Jurado was near a painting of Maria del Camino — Our Lady of the Way, the patron saint of the Jesuits who run Dolores Mission.

From Los Angeles Times

There were times on the first day of the first Test against Pakistan that England must have hoped for help from the patron saint of taking wickets.

From BBC

Related Words

• guardian angel