Dictionary.com

sanbenito

[ san-buh-nee-toh ]
/ ˌsæn bəˈni toʊ /

noun, plural san·be·ni·tos.(under the Spanish Inquisition)

an ornamented garment worn by a condemned heretic at an auto-da-fé.
a penitential garment worn by a confessed heretic, of yellow for the penitent, of black for the impenitent.

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Origin of sanbenito

1550–60; <Spanish, named after San Benito Saint Benedict, from its resemblance to the scapular believed to have been introduced by him

Words nearby sanbenito

San Antonio Peak, Sanatana Dharma, sanative, sanatorium, sanatory, sanbenito, San Bernardino, San Bernardino Mountains, San Bernardino Pass, San Bernardo, San Blas

Definition for sanbenito (2 of 2)

San Benito
[ san buh-nee-toh ]
/ ˌsæn bəˈni toʊ /

noun

a city in S Texas.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for sanbenito

British Dictionary definitions for sanbenito

sanbenito
/ (ˌsænbəˈniːtəʊ) /

noun plural -tos

a yellow garment bearing a red cross, worn by penitent heretics in the Inquisition
a black garment bearing flames and devils, worn by impenitent heretics at an auto-da-fé

Word Origin for sanbenito

C16: from Spanish San Benito Saint Benedict, an ironical allusion to its likeness to the Benedictine scapular
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012