santo — Italian dictionary

Meaning · adjective

holy, saintly

Gerusalemme è una città santa per molte religioni.
Jerusalem is a holy city for many religions.

Il prete ha benedetto la folla con l'acqua santa.
The priest blessed the crowd with holy water.

Non è un uomo santo, ma aiuta tutti.
He isn't a holy man, but he helps everyone.

Word forms (8)

Use 'santo' for religious holiness (e.g., 'San Francesco'). For moral purity, prefer 'sacro' or 'puro'.
Always place 'santo' before the noun (e.g., 'santo cielo'). After the noun, it means 'saint' (e.g., 'Francesco santo').
Agrees in gender/number: 'santo' (m. sg.), 'santa' (f. sg.), 'santi' (m. pl.), 'sante' (f. pl.).
before a noun: san, sant', santo

saint

Mia nonna ha una statua di un santo in camera.
My grandma has a statue of a saint in her room.

Hai visto la statua di San Marco ieri?
Did you see the statue of Saint Mark yesterday?

Non sono un santo, ma ci provo sempre.
I'm not a saint, but I always try.

Word forms (2)

Word	Word forms
santo	masculine · singular
santi	masculine · plural

Capitalize Santo only in official names or before a specific saint’s name: Santo Stefano. Lowercase for the common noun: un santo.
Before a vowel, santo usually becomes sant’: Sant’Antonio, Sant’Agnese. Don’t write santo Antonio in standard usage.
Use santo for canonized holy figures; beato is different and refers to someone beatified, not yet a saint.