"saint" in seven languages
Meaningsaint
Spanish
/ˈsanto/
masc.inherited
fem.: santa
Shortened to San before most male names: San Pedro, but Santo Domingo, Santo Tomás.
French
/sɛ̃/
masc.inherited
fem.: sainte
Italian
/ˈsanto/
masc.inherited
fem.: santa
Before names: San Pietro, Santo Stefano, Sant'Anna.
Portuguese
/ˈsɐ̃tu/
masc.inherited
Before a name starting with a consonant it shortens to São: São Paulo.
Romanian
/sfɨnt/
masc.other source · Old Church Slavonic svętŭ 'holy'
The Latin SANCTUM survives only in old names like Sânpetru and Sânziene.
Catalan
/sant/
masc.inherited
English
/seɪnt/
from Latin/French · Old French saint
The Latin ancestor
SANCTUM‘made holy, consecrated’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
All three sisters dropped the c of SANCTUM (nct → nt); French then nasalized the vowel and silenced the t. French sanctuaire and English sanctuary, learned, keep the c.
English relatives: sanctuary, sanctify, sanction
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esSan Francisco amaba a los animales.
- frSaint François aimait les animaux.
- itSan Francesco amava gli animali.
- ptSão Francisco amava os animais.
- roSfântul Francisc iubea animalele.
- caSant Francesc estimava els animals.
- enSaint Francis loved animals.