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.

Nearby words

san`a, sanatana dharma, sanative, sanatorium, sanatory, sanbenito, sanborn, sancerre, sanchez, sancho panza, sanctified

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sanbenito

He continued his apostolate and, on a second trial, he was condemned to perpetual prison and sanbenito.
A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 3|Henry Charles Lea
I would rather have put on a sanbenito myself than have gone there.
The Spanish Brothers|Deborah Alcock
Two years and a half were spent on the trials of Diego and Ana, ending with a sentence of irremissible prison and sanbenito.
A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 3|Henry Charles Lea
This saco bendito became known as the sanbenito or, more commonly, abito and was necessarily inherited by the new Inquisition.
A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 3|Henry Charles Lea

He had received 150,000 maraveds by selling to penitents exemptions from wearing the sanbenito, or penitential garment.
A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 1|Henry Charles Lea

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