Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Saint” come from?

Saint comes from Latin sanctus, the past participle of sancio, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European seh₂k-, meaning to sanctify or make sacred.

Saint (English): A title given to a saint, often prefixed to the...

Definitions

  1. A title given to a saint, often prefixed to the...

Ancestry of “Saint”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsaint—
2Old Englishsanctsaint
3Latinsānctus—
4LatinIacobusJacob; James; Saint James
5Ancient GreekἸάκωβος—
6Ancient GreekἸακώβ—
7HebrewיַעֲקֹבJacob
8Hebrewעָקֵבheel of the foot; heel
Every word from Hebrew עָקֵב →