saintship

[ seynt-ship ]

noun

1. the qualities or status of a saint.

Word History and Origins

Origin of saintship¹

First recorded in 1600–10; saint + -ship

Example Sentences

The church is decorated with very coarsely-executed frescoes of the life of the saint,—his birth, his confirmation by a bishop who predicted his future saintship, and his temptation by the devil in various forms.

From Project Gutenberg

Such saintship cannot approve itself “before Him.”

From Project Gutenberg

In relation to the Duke in the poem previously mentioned he remarks: “One leans to like the duke, too; up we’ll patch Some sort of saintship for him—not to match Hers—but man’s best and woman’s worst amount So nearly to the same thing, that we count In man a miracle of faithfulness If, while unfaithful somewhat, he lay stress On the main fact that love, when love indeed, Is wholly solely love from first to last— Truth—all the rest a lie.”

From Project Gutenberg

Then came bishops, cardinals, and archbishop, ranks of military bearing tapers, the alcalde and his associates in the city government with antique escort of bedizened mace-bearers, a sparkling statue of St. James on horseback busily beheading his legions of Moors, a bodyguard of all the pilgrims in attendance on his saintship, and finally the Virgen del Pilar, 437 at whose passing all the concourse fell upon their knees.

From Project Gutenberg

The Dev’l was piq’d such saintship to behold, And long’d to tempt him, like good Job of old; But Satan now is wiser than of yore, And tempts, by making rich, not making poor.”

From Project Gutenberg