Marrano

American  

[muh-rah-noh] / məˈrɑ noʊ /

noun

plural

Marranos

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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of Marrano

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

Example Sentences

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

In fact, the first original drama in Spanish literature, the celebrated Celestina, is attributed to a Jew, the Marrano Rodrigo da Cota.

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

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

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