# Is it coincidence that "Satan" and "Saint" are similar, or do they share a root word? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 8, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-coincidence-that-satan-and-saint-are-similar-or-do-they-share-a-root-word/334748 "2005-12-08T20:34:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-coincidence-that-satan-and-saint-are-similar-or-do-they-share-a-root-word/334748/1 "2005-12-08T20:34:22Z")
Do the two words share some kind of etymological origin, or is it a coincidence they sound kinda similar? ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-coincidence-that-satan-and-saint-are-similar-or-do-they-share-a-root-word/334748/2 "2005-12-08T20:38:44Z")
Coincidence. “Saint” comes from the Latin “sanctus” (“holy”), while “Satan” comes from the Hebrew word “satan”, from the root S-T-N meaning “oppose”. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-coincidence-that-satan-and-saint-are-similar-or-do-they-share-a-root-word/334748/3 "2005-12-08T20:41:06Z")
It’s a coincidence. _Satan_ comes from the Semitic languages (cf. Hebrew _satan_, Arabic _shaitan_). _Saint_ stems from Latin _sanctus_ “holy”. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-coincidence-that-satan-and-saint-are-similar-or-do-they-share-a-root-word/334748/4 "2005-12-08T20:43:06Z")
Tell that to the dyslexic devil worshipper who sold his soul to Santa. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-coincidence-that-satan-and-saint-are-similar-or-do-they-share-a-root-word/334748/5 "2005-12-08T20:52:36Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-coincidence-that-satan-and-saint-are-similar-or-do-they-share-a-root-word/334748/6 "2005-12-08T20:53:54Z")
> [@FatBaldGuy](#): > > Tell that to the dyslexic devil worshipper who sold his soul to Santa. I bet he got some damn nice gifts, though. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-coincidence-that-satan-and-saint-are-similar-or-do-they-share-a-root-word/334748/7 "2005-12-08T21:38:01Z")
If a key aspect of the similarity you observed was the “long A” sound, be aware that such vowel sounds are seldom a reliable indicator of linguistic commonality. A more helpful indicator is consonant placement, such as you see in “saint” and “Santa,” which do have a common root, even though they don’t sound similar in the way that “saint” and “Satan” do.