il·lu·mi·na·ti (?-lo?o?m?-nä?t?)pl.n.1. People claiming to be unusually enlightened with regard to a subject.2. Illuminati Any of various groups claiming special religious or philosophical enlightenment.[Latin ill?min?t?, from pl. of ill?min?tus, past participle of ill?min?re, to light up; see illuminate.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.illuminati (??lu?m??n??ti?) pl n, sing -to (-t??) (Philosophy) a group of persons claiming exceptional enlightenment on some subject, esp religion[C16: from Latin, literally: the enlightened ones, from ill?min?re to illuminate]Illuminati (??lu?m??n??ti?) pl n, sing -to (-t??) 1. (Philosophy) any of several groups of illuminati, esp in 18th-century France2. (Roman Catholic Church) a group of religious enthusiasts of 16th-century Spain who were persecuted by the Inquisition3. (Christian Churches, other) a masonic sect founded in Bavaria in 1778 claiming that the illuminating grace of Christ resided in it alone4. (Christian Churches, other) a rare name for the RosicruciansCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014il?lu?mi?na?ti (??lu m??n? ti, -?ne? ta?) n.pl., sing. -to (-to?) 1. persons claiming to possess superior enlightenment. 2. (cap.) any of various religious sects claiming special enlightenment. [1590?1600;