sant

Sant is a term with multiple uses across languages and cultures. In Hindustani languages—Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, and Bengali—sant denotes a holy person or saintly figure and is used to refer to revered spiritual teachers or sages. In religious traditions such as the Bhakti movement and Sikhism, sant also describes a saint-poet or spiritual teacher whose hymns and teachings influenced devotional practices.

Within the Bhakti tradition, the Sants were a group of medieval mystics and poets, including figures widely revered for devotional songs and ethical teaching; their work helped shape religious literature across Hindu, Jain, and Sikh communities.

In Catalan and some Romance-language contexts, Sant is the masculine form of Saint and is used before place names and in toponyms, as in various towns and churches.

As a personal name or surname, Sant is found among South Asian populations and diaspora communities. It appears as a given name and as part of compound names (for example Sant Singh, Sant Ram) and is carried into modern usage in many countries.