patron saint

Definition of patron saint

1 : a saint to whose protection and intercession a person, a society, a church, or a place is dedicated

2 : an original leader or prime exemplar

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Examples of patron saint in a Sentence

St. David is the patron saint of Wales. St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers. The success of her books has made her the patron saint of a new literary movement.

Recent Examples on the Web In the enthusiastic if somewhat insular community of cowboy poets, Clark remains a patron saint, his work performed at hundreds of gatherings across the country every year. — Carson Vaughan, Smithsonian Magazine, "Saddle Up With Badger Clark, America’s Forgotten Cowboy Poet," 17 Sep. 2020 Cecilia was a Roman martyr and the patron saint of musicians. — Brian T. Allen, National Review, "In Rome, the Definitive Raphael Show: Raffaello: 1520–1483," 2 Sep. 2020 Baroque saints can easily feel like an opera, but here, for this patron saint of music, the sound of ecstasy is evocative, soothing, and rich, even healing, like a Ravel piano concerto or something by Debussy or a Mozart concerto. — Brian T. Allen, National Review, "In Rome, the Definitive Raphael Show: Raffaello: 1520–1483," 2 Sep. 2020 The gadfly of ancient Athens, patron saint of Western philosophy, and its first martyr has much to teach about modern life and business. — Eric Weiner, Fortune, "The business advice Socrates would give if he wrote a management book today," 25 Aug. 2020 The cover features a painting of Jude the Apostle, whom Roman Catholics know as the patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes. — Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, "The Tragic Charisma of Justin Townes Earle," 24 Aug. 2020 Fittingly, the cornerstone was laid by New Orleans Archbishop Napoléon-Joseph Perché on St. Patrick’s Day, immediately after a Mass at St. Patrick’s Church celebrating the feast of Ireland’s patron saint. — Mike Scott, NOLA.com, "From Carnival balls to court proceedings, St. Patrick's Hall saw a lot of late-1800s New Orleans history," 17 Aug. 2020 This past week, Gwyneth Paltrow, the patron saint of radiance, posted a photo of herself, her mother/actress Blythe Danner, and her 16-year-old daughter Apple. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "Gwyneth Paltrow, Her Daughter, and Her Mother Show Off Their Summer Dresses," 11 Aug. 2020 And last but not least, selling well is the religious candle featuring San Roque, the patron saint of invalids and those suffering from contagious diseases. — John Maccormack, ExpressNews.com, "Botanicas and healers busy during pandemic," 7 Aug. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'patron saint.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

23 Sep 2020

Cite this Entry

“Patron saint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patron%20saint. Accessed 27 Sep. 2020.

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