Saint Nicholas
proper noun
Forms St Nicholas St. Nicholas
- proper noun (Christianity) A 4th-century Greek bishop from Myra, Anatolia, patron saint of children, mariners and the unwed among others, functioning in multiple countries as a gift-giving figure around his feast day of December 6.
- proper noun Santa Claus; a figure derived from traditions surrounding the historical Saint Nicholas who is said to bring Christmas presents to children on Christmas Day.
Synonyms
Father Christmas Kris Kringle Santa Claus Saint Nick Nicholas St. Nicholas Santa Kriss Kringle St. Nick
Etymology
Calque of Ancient Greek Ἅγιος Νικόλαος (Hágios Nikólaos).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “Saint Nicholas”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details