sanbenito

[san-buh-nee-toh]

noun

plural

sanbenitos 

1. an ornamented garment worn by a condemned heretic at an auto-da-f é.

2. a penitential garment worn by a confessed heretic, of yellow for the penitent, of black for the impenitent.

sanbenito

/ ˌsænbəˈniːtəʊ /

noun

1. a yellow garment bearing a red cross, worn by penitent heretics in the Inquisition

2. a black garment bearing flames and devils, worn by impenitent heretics at an auto-da-fé

Word History and Origins

Origin of sanbenito¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sanbenito¹

C16: from Spanish San Benito Saint Benedict, an ironical allusion to its likeness to the Benedictine scapular

Example Sentences

Referencing “Sanbenito” cloaks, which were used to shame criminals during the Spanish Inquisition, Salcedo’s shawls will never keep their wearers warm.

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Sliding into @sanbenito DMs like...

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Bad Bunny @sanbenito 🐰 was spotted today on a film shoot in Boyle Heights!

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Sanbenito, san-be-nē′tō, n. a garment grotesquely decorated with flames, devils, &c., worn by the victims of the Inquisition—at an auto-de-fe—for public recantation or execution.

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Valer's sanbenito was displayed for a long time in the metropolitan church of Seville.

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