sfântul

Sfântul is a Romanian term meaning “the saint” and is used as the title placed before the name of a saint. It appears in religious contexts across Romanian Orthodox and Romanian Catholic communities, including liturgical texts, calendars, church names, and iconography. The feminine form is Sfânta, used before female saints (for example, Sfânta Maria). The plural forms are Sfinți (indefinite) and Sfinții (definite), as in Sfinții Petru and the Sfinții Apostoli.

Etymology and form: Sfântul derives from the Latin sanctus, meaning holy. In Romanian, the word bears diacritics that reflect its pronunciation and grammatical agreement with the following name. When preceding a proper name, it functions as a compound title, and it can appear in various phrases such as ziua Sfântului Gheorghe (Saint George’s Day) or biserica Sfântul Nicolae (the Church of Saint Nicholas).

Usage and context: The construction is widely used in religious calendars, hagiographies, and everyday speech to designate a recognized saint. It also appears in toponymy and church naming, reinforcing the saint’s patronage over a place or institution. While “Sfântul” primarily marks male saints, “Sfânta” is used for female saints, with the corresponding plural forms following the same rules.

See also: Saint in Romanian religious tradition; Romanian Orthodox and Catholic calendars; Romanian onomastics and toponymy.