Standard Lemma guide

Sebastianism

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The folkloric belief that King Sebastian of Portugal (1554–1578) will return from the dead to lead the Portuguese or Brazilian people as a messiah.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese sebastianismo. By surface analysis, Sebastian + ism.

Across languages

Translations

1 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Portuguese: sebastianismo — belief that King Sebastian of Portugal will return to lead the Portuguese or Brazilian people