Seint

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A holy person venerated by the church ; an archaic belt or girdle worn around the waist
2. A person recognized as holy and sanctified by the church ; a sash or cincture encircling the body at the waist
3. An early spelling of the word for a canonized holy figure ; an old term for a band of cloth or leather worn about the middle

Etymology: Latin "sanctus" meant "consecrated" or "made holy," from the verb "sancire," which could mean both to make something sacred and to fix it by law. Something "sanctus" was therefore set apart and protected. Old French shortened it to "saint," and Middle English borrowed that form, spelling it "seint" before the modern spelling settled. English already had its own word for holiness, "halig," and the Old English "hālga" was used for holy people too. The French-derived noun gradually displaced these native terms. It carried a specific sense: a person formally recognized by the Church as holy, not merely someone pious. That official meaning is the one this "seint" still holds.