grand inquisitor
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A high-ranking official who directed the court of the Inquisition: Specifically, the title given to the person who was the supreme head of the Inquisition in a particular country, most notably in Spain and Portugal during the 15th to 19th centuries. This person held immense judicial and religious authority to investigate and suppress heresy.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The Grand Inquisitor presided over the most severe trials for heresy.
- Tomas de Torquemada is one of the most infamous figures to have held the office of Grand Inquisitor in Spain.
- The power of the Grand Inquisitor was derived directly from the monarch and the Pope.
Advanced Usage
- Figurative/Cultural Reference: The term is often used metaphorically to describe a person who acts as a harsh, dogmatic, and relentless interrogator or enforcer of orthodoxy in any field (e.g., politics, ideology, corporate culture).
- He was appointed as the committee's grand inquisitor, tasked with rooting out any dissent within the party.
- The novel features a character who becomes the grand inquisitor of a strict moral code.
Variants and Related Words
- Inquisitor (noun): An officer of the Inquisition, or more generally, a person who makes harsh, prolonged, and searching inquiries.
- Inquisition (noun): 1. A former Roman Catholic tribunal for the discovery and punishment of heresy. 2. A period of prolonged and intensive questioning or investigation.
- Inquisitorial (adjective): Of or like an inquisitor, especially in being offensively prying or harshly investigative.
Synonyms
- Interrogator
- Persecutor (in the historical, figurative sense)
- Enforcer (of dogma/orthodoxy)
Related Idioms/Phrases
- To play the grand inquisitor: To adopt the role of a severe and relentless questioner.
- During the meeting, she decided to play the grand inquisitor, grilling the team on every minor detail of the report.
Noun
- director of the court of Inquisition (especially in Spain and Portugal)