Jesuit

noun Je·su·it \ˈje-zü-ət, -zhü- also -zyü-\

: a man who is a member of a religious group called the Roman Catholic Society of Jesus

Full Definition of JESUIT

: a member of the Roman Catholic Society of Jesus founded by St. Ignatius Loyola in 1534 and devoted to missionary and educational work

: one given to intrigue or equivocation

— je·su·it·i·cal \ˌje-zü-ˈ(w)i-ti-kəl, -zhü-, -zyü-\ also je·su·it·ic \-tik\ adjective often capitalized

— je·su·it·i·cal·ly \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb often capitalized

— je·su·it·ism \ˈje-zü-ə-ˌti-zəm, -zhü-, -zyü-\ or je·su·it·ry \-ə-trē\ noun often capitalized

See Jesuit defined for English-language learners

New Latin Jesuita, from Late Latin Jesus

First Known Use: 1548

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