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sanbenito

 - 2 dictionary results

san⋅be⋅ni⋅to

  [san-buh-nee-toh]
Use sanbenito in a Sentence
–noun, plural -tos. (under the Spanish Inquisition)
1. an ornamented garment worn by a condemned heretic at an auto-da-fé.
2. a penitential garment worn by a confessed heretic, of yellow for the penitent, of black for the impenitent.
Origin:
1550–60; < Sp, 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 Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To sanbenito
san·be·ni·to   (sān'bə-nē'tō)   
n.   pl. san·be·ni·tos
A garment of sackcloth worn at an auto-da-fé of the Spanish Inquisition by condemned heretics, being yellow with red crosses for the penitent and black with painted flames and devils for the impenitent.

[Spanish sambenito, after San Benito, Saint Benedict of Nursia (from its similarity to the scapular supposedly introduced by him).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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