Stanislaus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A masculine first name of Polish origin ; a major river in central Africa, now usually called the Congo ; a medieval Polish bishop of Kraków venerated as a saint
2. A boy's or man's given name of Slavic origin ; the former name of a great African river now known as the Congo ; a saint and bishop of Kraków who was revered in Poland
3. Masculine personal name borne by a Polish martyr-bishop ; an old designation for the large central African river that is today called the Congo ; a Kraków bishop honoured as a saint

Etymology: Stanislaus is a given name rather than a common word, and its history runs through a single saint. Saint Stanislaus of Szczepanów, Bishop of Kraków, was executed in 1079 and became the patron of Poland, and his name, in its Latin form, spread across Catholic Europe with the cult that grew up around him. The Latin spelling is a rendering of a Slavic name, Stanisław in Polish and cognates in Russian and Bulgarian, whose two elements are the Proto-Slavic roots for "to stand, become" and "glory". The name therefore means something close to "stand in glory" or "one who becomes glorious." The English form keeps the Latin ending, which is why it looks more classical than its origin. Many Slavic names reached western Europe this way, adopted by the Church in Latinized dress, so that a name rooted in Slavic speech can look like a Roman import to an English reader.