Okwudiri Straightman Nwali

illuminati

  /ɪˌlu məˈnɑ ti, -ˈneɪ taɪ/ 

 /ɪˌlu məˈnɑ toʊ, -ˈneɪ-/ 

1.

persons possessing, or claiming to possess, superior enlightenment.

2.

(initial capital letter) a name given to different religious societies or sects because of their claim to superior enlightenment.

Origin of illuminati

Latin

1590-1600

1590-1600; < Latin illūminātī, plural of illūminātus enlightened; see illuminate

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2015.
Cite This Source

Examples from the Web for illuminati

Contemporary Examples

• As a noted feminist/ illuminati member/ Goddess/ walking Instagram video, Beyoncé certainly wears many hats/ veils/ body suits.
  The Beyoncé Manifesto: Quotes on Nihilism and Feminism Amy Zimmerman December 11, 2014
• The symbol is sometimes associated with the illuminati, but that same symbol also dates back to ancient Egypt.
  Jay-Z Just Can’t Get Away From the Illuminati Rumors Allison Samuels March 12, 2013
• For example, a website accumulated all of my music videos to point out perceived illuminati images.
  DJ Steve Aoki: To Cake or Not To Cake Steve Aoki August 7, 2014
• She believes the illuminati are leaving secret clues in, among other places, the viral Kony 2012 video.
  The Kardashian Look-Alike Trolling for Assad Noah Shachtman, Michael Kennedy October 16, 2014
• illuminati is the plural of illuminatus, which means “enlightened.”
  Jay-Z Just Can’t Get Away From the Illuminati Rumors Allison Samuels March 12, 2013

Historical Examples

• Many of the Freemasons of France in 1787 were thus not conscious allies of the illuminati.
  Secret Societies And Subversive Movements Nesta H. Webster
• The illuminati, brothers and friends of Montgelas, have not been idle in that country.
  Memoirs of the Court of St. Cloud, Complete Lewis Goldsmith
• The perfidy of the illuminati with regard to the Freemasons is therefore apparent.
  Secret Societies And Subversive Movements Nesta H. Webster
• Curses and persecution for the devil's offspring, the illuminati, we swear!
  Old Fritz and the New Era Louise Muhlbach
• Indeed this melancholy account is to be found in many passages of the private correspondence of the illuminati.
  Proofs of a Conspiracy against all the Religions and Governments of Europe John Robison

British Dictionary definitions for illuminati

illuminati

/ɪˌluːmɪˈnɑːtiː/

plural noun (sing) -to (-təʊ)

1.

a group of persons claiming exceptional enlightenment on some subject, esp religion

Word Origin

C16: from Latin, literally: the enlightened ones, from illūmināre to illuminate

Illuminati

/ɪˌluːmɪˈnɑːtiː/

plural noun (sing) -to (-təʊ)

1.

any of several groups of illuminati, esp in 18th-century France

2.

a group of religious enthusiasts of 16th-century Spain who were persecuted by the Inquisition

3.

a masonic sect founded in Bavaria in 1778 claiming that the illuminating grace of Christ resided in it alone

4.

a rare name for the Rosicrucians

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
Cite This Source

Word Origin and History for illuminati

n.

1590s, plural of Latin illuminatus "enlightened" (in figurative sense), past participle of illuminare (see illumination). Originally applied to a 16c. Spanish sect (the Alumbrados), then to other sects; since 1797 used as a translation of German Illuminaten, name of a secret society founded 1776 in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, and holding deistic and republican principles; hence used generally of free-thinkers and sarcastically of those professing intellectual enlightenment (1816). Related: Illuminatism; illuminatist.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Sou