Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “saints” come from?

Saints derives from English saint, from Latin sanctus meaning "holy," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European seh₂k- meaning "to sanctify."

saints (English): plural of saint; Third-person singular simple...

Definitions

  1. plural of saint; Third-person singular simple...

Ancestry of “saints”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsaintA person whom a church or another religious group...
2Middle Englishseintsaint
3Anglo-NormanseintAlternative form of saint
4Old Frenchsaintsaint; holy; pious; devout
5Latinsānctus—
6LatinIacobusJacob; James; Saint James
7Ancient GreekἸάκωβος—
8Ancient GreekἸακώβ—
9HebrewיַעֲקֹבJacob
10Hebrewעָקֵבheel of the foot; heel
Every word from Hebrew עָקֵב →