sambenito
Spanish, noun
sambenito is a Spanish masculine noun meaning “stigma (mark of disgrace or embarrassment)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is also a first-person singular present indicative of sambenitar. With an accent, sambenitó is a different word: “third-person singular preterite indicative of sambenitar”. The Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) defines it as “Capotillo o escapulario que se ponía a los penitentes reconciliados por el tribunal de la Inquisición”.
What does sambenito mean in English?
noun
- 1
masculinestigma (mark of disgrace or embarrassment)
verb
- 1
first-person singular present indicative of sambenitar
verb
- 1
third-person singular preterite indicative of sambenitar
Source: English Wiktionary, Spanish section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Spanish dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Capotillo o escapulario que se ponía a los penitentes reconciliados por el tribunal de la Inquisición. 2. Letrero que se ponía en las iglesias con el nombre y castigo de los penitenciados, y las señales de su castigo. 3. Mala nota que queda de una acción. 4. Difamación, descrédito.
The definition in the Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), in Spanish.
Source: Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of sambenito
- sambenitos plural
Source: English Wiktionary and Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to sambenito
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is sambenito in Spanish?
sambenito appears about once in every 11 million words in written Spanish.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).