Marrano

American  

[muh-rah-noh] / məˈrɑ noʊ /

noun

Marranos plural

1. a Spanish or Portuguese Jew who was converted to Christianity during the late Middle Ages, usually under threat of death or persecution, especially one who continued to adhere to Judaism in secret.

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Marrano British  

/ məˈrɑːnəʊ /

noun

1. a Spanish or Portuguese Jew of the late Middle Ages who was converted to Christianity, esp one forcibly converted but secretly adhering to Judaism

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Marranos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Marrano

< Spanish: literally, pig, from the Jewish law forbidding the eating of pork (probably < Arabic maḥram forbidden)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Marrano Marranos

Two writers of Marrano origin, wide as the poles asunder in gifts of mind and character, represented two aspects of the aspiration of the Jews towards a place in the wider world.

From Chapters on Jewish Literature by Abrahams, Israel

With equal force it dominated the being of Solomon Molcho, the enthusiastic youth who, at one time a Marrano, on his public return to Judaism proclaimed the speedy regeneration of Israel.

From Jewish History : an essay in the philosophy of history by Dubnow, S. M. (Simon Markovich)

The real author, whose place in Spanish literature is assured, was Antonio Enriquez di Gomez, a Marrano, burnt in effigy at Seville after his escape from the clutches of the Inquisition.

From Jewish Literature and Other Essays by Karpeles, Gustav

A decade later a similar attempt was made by Fernando Mendes da Costa, one of the founders of the Anglo-Jewish Community, and a member of a very distinguished Portuguese Marrano family.

From Notes on the Diplomatic History of the Jewish Question by Wolf, Lucien

Manasseh ben Israel was born in Lisbon of Marrano parents, who emigrated to Amsterdam a few years after their son's birth.

From Chapters on Jewish Literature by Abrahams, Israel

The Marranos were the Jews that converted to Christianity but continued to practice Judaism in the cellar.

From New York Times ● Mar. 17, 2017

In the 1920s, Army Captain Artur Carlos de Barros Basto, a descendant of Marranos, converted to Judaism and helped establish a synagogue and seminary in Oporto.

From Time Magazine Archive

The secrecy is senseless, in a way. since most of their neighbors know that the Marranos are Jews.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Marranos shun all Saturday work, a telltale sign of their identity, but paradoxically, most of the men have not been circumcised because that could disclose their secret.

From Time Magazine Archive

But when war between England and Spain rendered this expedient inadvisable, the Marranos threw off the disguise of Christianity and proclaimed themselves followers of the Jewish faith.

From Secret Societies And Subversive Movements by Webster, Nesta H.