A secret society or powerful group of people believed to control world events, or historically, various groups claiming special spiritual knowledge.
From Italian 'illuminati' (the illuminated ones), derived from Latin 'illuminatus' (lit up). The term originally referred to 16th-century Spanish groups claiming divine enlightenment, later applied to 18th-century Bavarian intellectuals, and became a modern symbol for alleged hidden power brokers.
The Illuminati started as a real Bavarian society in 1776 promoting reason and science, but conspiracy theories transformed them into fictional puppet-masters—a perfect example of how real history gets mythologized into internet folklore.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.