What Does Illuminati Mean?
In Latin the word is illuminatus, in Italian it is illuminato and it refers to those who claim special illumination, spiritual or intellectual. The word is often capitalized when applied to the members of various special sects or groups. [Webster's Collegiate Dictionary]. Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy - A how-to for tracing ancient Jewish ancestry, Secret Genealogy II - Uncovering the Jewish Roots of Our Christian Ancestors and Secret Genealogy III - From Jewish Anglo-Saxon Tribes to New France Acadians. Available here: http://www.pacificsites.com/~oceanhose/
About Suellen
Historical fiction writer Suellen Ocean has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sonoma State University. The former radio personality has a "knack for storytelling and for making characters come alive." Although the stories are rather sexy and string romances...
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Suellen’s Favorite Books
"Rembrandt’s Jews", by Steven Nadler, "Clan of the Cave Bear", by Jean M. Auel, "The Red Tent", by Anita Diamant
Suellen,You are no doubt
Suellen,
You are no doubt aware that in popular usage and media "the illuminati" as a term has acquired considerable perjorative connotative meaning, perhaps largely from print fiction, movies and television dramas depicting in stereotyped ways illuminati types as powerful if not intimidating and manipulative "behind-the scenes" operatives/conspirators.
A similar degeneration of meaning is underway with the term "elites" in popular usage. As you know, once a word gains such "notoriety", its meaning narrows to a perjorative one only. For example, in Old "English the words "stink" and "smirk" were equivalent to our modern words "smell" and "smile" but later underwent degeneration to perjorative meanings only. The word "smell" seems fated for a similar fall from "respectability" as in the expression "This smells." Formerly, to be "discriminating" in our perceptions and judgments was praiseworthy but once the word became associated with "racial" attitudes, its meaning narrowed to negative ones primarily.
Words, like people, are affected by their associations.