SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Alumbrado

noun Alum·bra·do

variants: or less commonly Alombrado \ˌaləmˈbrä(ˌ)t͟hō, -ä(ˌ)dō\

Definition of Alumbrado

plural -s

: a member of a 16th century mystical Spanish sect striving for spiritual illumination and union with God — called also Perfectibilist

There's more!

Love words? You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
Advanced search features
Ad free!

Origin and Etymology of alumbrado

Spanish Alumbrado, literally, illuminated one, from alumbrado illuminated, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin alluminatus, past participle of alluminare to illuminate, from Latin ad- + luminare to illuminate, from lumin-, lumen light

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1600

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up Alumbrado? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

garrulous

play

talkative or wordy

BROWSE DICTIONARY

alum

alumbloom

Alumbrado

alum cake

alum carmine

Test Your Vocabulary

Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

Choose the best definition or synonym for the word in bold: "There are some eructations that sound like cheers—at least, mine did." Lolita

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

12 Words from All Over the Map

Some words say exactly where they're from

alt-5b032d1aef0e9

'Ingenious' and 'Ingenuous': More Than a Typo

One's clever, the other's like a child

alt-5b0310daaafde

A Matter-of-Fact Look at 'Deadpan'

Surely we can be serious.

9 Words from the Magical Realm

When language is magic

Ask the Editors

video-ghost-words

Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-literally

Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

How familiar are you with Nabokov’s unfamiliar vocabulary?

Take the quiz

cow-coming-home

Farm Idioms Quiz

Not your children's farm quiz.

Take the quiz

Name That Thing

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz

Syn City

Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.

Play the game