Saint (sānt), n. [F., fr. L.
sanctus sacred, properly p. p. of sancire to render
sacred by a religious act, to appoint as sacred; akin to sacer
sacred. Cf. Sacred, Sanctity, Sanctum,
Sanctus.] 1. A person sanctified; a holy
or godly person; one eminent for piety and virtue; any true Christian,
as being redeemed and consecrated to God.
Them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be
saints.
1 Cor. i. 2.
2. One of the blessed in heaven.
Then shall thy saints, unmixed, and from the
impure
Far separate, circling thy holy mount,
Unfeigned hallelujahs to thee sing.
Milton.
3. (Eccl.) One canonized by the
church. [Abbrev. St.]
Saint Andrew's cross. (a) A
cross shaped like the letter X. See Illust. 4, under
Cross. (b) (Bot.) A low North
American shrub (Ascyrum Crux-Andreæ, the petals of which
have the form of a Saint Andrew's cross. Gray. --
Saint Anthony's cross, a
T-shaped cross. See Illust. 6, under
Cross. -- Saint Anthony's fire, the
erysipelas; -- popularly so called because it was supposed to have
been cured by the intercession of Saint Anthony. -- Saint
Anthony's nut (Bot.), the groundnut (Bunium
flexuosum); -- so called because swine feed on it, and St. Anthony
was once a swineherd. Dr. Prior. -- Saint
Anthony's turnip (Bot.), the bulbous crowfoot, a
favorite food of swine. Dr. Prior. -- Saint
Barnaby's thistle (Bot.), a kind of knapweed
(Centaurea solstitialis) flowering on St. Barnabas's Day, June
11th. Dr. Prior. -- Saint Bernard
(Zoöl.), a breed of large, handsome dogs celebrated
for strength and sagacity, formerly bred chiefly at the Hospice of St.
Bernard in Switzerland, but now common in Europe and America. There
are two races, the smooth-haired and the rough-haired. See
Illust. under Dog. -- Saint Catharine's
flower (Bot.), the plant love-in-a-mist. See
under Love. -- Saint Cuthbert's beads
(Paleon.), the fossil joints of crinoid stems. --
Saint Dabeoc's heath (Bot.), a
heatherlike plant (Dabœcia polifolia), named from an
Irish saint. -- Saint Distaff's Day. See
under Distaff. -- Saint Elmo's fire,
a luminous, flamelike appearance, sometimes seen in dark,
tempestuous nights, at some prominent point on a ship, particularly at
the masthead and the yardarms. It has also been observed on land, and
is due to the discharge of electricity from elevated or pointed
objects. A single flame is called a Helena, or a
Corposant; a double, or twin, flame is called a Castor and
Pollux, or a double Corposant. It takes its name from St.
Elmo, the patron saint of sailors. -- Saint George's
cross (Her.), a Greek cross gules upon a field
argent, the field being represented by a narrow fimbriation in the
ensign, or union jack, of Great Britain. -- Saint
George's ensign, a red cross on a white field with a
union jack in the upper corner next the mast. It is the distinguishing
badge of ships of the royal navy of England; -- called also the
white ensign. Brande & C. -- Saint George's
flag, a smaller flag resembling the ensign, but without
the union jack; used as the sign of the presence and command of an
admiral. [Eng.] Brande & C. -- Saint Gobain
glass (Chem.), a fine variety of soda-lime plate
glass, so called from St. Gobain in France, where it was
manufactured. -- Saint Ignatius's bean
(Bot.), the seed of a tree of the Philippines (Strychnos
Ignatia), of properties similar to the nux vomica. --
Saint James's shell (Zoöl.), a
pecten (Vola Jacobæus) worn by pilgrims to the Holy Land.
See Illust. under Scallop. -- Saint
James's-wort (Bot.), a kind of ragwort
(Senecio Jacobæa). -- Saint John's
bread. (Bot.) See Carob. --
Saint John's-wort (Bot.), any plant of
the genus Hypericum, most species of which have yellow flowers;
-- called also John's-wort. -- Saint
Leger, the name of a race for three-year-old horses run
annually in September at Doncaster, England; -- instituted in 1776 by
Col. St. Leger. -- Saint Martin's herb
(Bot.), a small tropical American violaceous plant
(Sauvagesia erecta). It is very mucilaginous and is used in
medicine. -- Saint Martin's
summer, a season of mild, damp weather frequently
prevailing during late autumn in England and the Mediterranean
countries; -- so called from St. Martin's Festival, occurring on
November 11. It corresponds to the Indian summer in America.
Shak. Whittier. -- Saint Patrick's
cross. See Illust. 4, under Cross. --
Saint Patrick's Day, the 17th of March,
anniversary of the death (about 466) of St. Patrick, the apostle and
patron saint of Ireland. -- Saint Peter's fish.
(Zoöl.) See John Dory, under John.
-- Saint Peter's-wort (Bot.), a name of
several plants, as Hypericum Ascyron, H. quadrangulum,
Ascyrum stans, etc. -- Saint Peter's
wreath (Bot.), a shrubby kind of Spiræa
(S. hypericifolia), having long slender branches covered with
clusters of small white blossoms in spring. -- Saint's
bell. See Sanctus bell, under
Sanctus. -- Saint Vitus's dance
(Med.), chorea; -- so called from the supposed cures
wrought on intercession to this saint.