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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Etymology

Origin of Marrano

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

Example Sentences

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

See JudendeutschAmatus Lusitanus, physician, 42, 97Amharic spoken by the Falashas, 265Amora�m, Speakers, 58Amos, prophet, alluded to, 251Amsterdam, Marrano centre, 128-129Anahuac and the Ten Tribes, 259Anatoli.

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

She at once addressed herself to the reigning Sultan, Solyman the Magnificent, and entreated his intervention, on the ground that the Marrano Jews in Ancona were for the most part Turkish subjects.

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

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