converso

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Pronunciations

converso (kn-VUR-soh) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A Jew who was forced to convert to Christianity in the late Middle Ages during the Spanish Inquisition.

Example Sentences

  • "Conversos who did not fully or genuinely embrace Catholicism and continued to practice their Jewish faith in secrecy were referred to as 'judaizantes' and pejoratively as Marranos ('swine') or in Hebrew Bnai Anusim." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Ladino

Etymology

  • converso 'convert'

      • Who Uses This

      • Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
      • Sephardim: Jews with Sephardi or Mizrahi heritage

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

Notes

  • Alternative terms include anusim, Marrano, Critaos Novos, chuetas, and crypto-Jews.

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