Jesuit

[ jezh-oo-it, jez-oo-, jez-yoo- ]

noun

1. a member of a Roman Catholic religious order Society of Jesus founded by Ignatius of Loyola in 1534.
2. (often lowercase) a crafty, intriguing, or equivocating person: so called in allusion to the methods ascribed to the order by its opponents.

adjective

1. of or relating to Jesuits or Jesuitism.

Jesuit

/ ˈdʒɛzjʊɪt /

noun

1. a member of a Roman Catholic religious order (the Society of Jesus ) founded by Saint Ignatius Loyola in 1534 with the aims of defending the papacy and Catholicism against the Reformation and to undertake missionary work among the heathen
2. informal.
   sometimes not capital a person given to subtle and equivocating arguments; casuist

Derived Forms

• Jesuˈitically, adverb
• ˌJesuˈitic, adjective

Other Words From

• an·ti-Jes·u·it noun adjective
• pro-Jes·u·it noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Jesuit¹

1550–60; < New Latin Jēsuita, equivalent to Latin Jēsu ( s ) + -ita -ite ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of Jesuit¹

C16: from New Latin Jēsuita, from Late Latin Jēsus + -ita -ite ¹

Example Sentences

“What is it the Jesuits say? Service is love in action. I know it’s corny. But I’m going to love this community by being of service to it. So that’s my commitment.”

From Los Angeles Times

The Jesuit priest had spent almost two decades fighting for the rights of the Tzotzil indigenous group, of which he was a member.

From BBC

“For decades, Father Marcelo has been a symbol of resistance and support in Chiapas, defending the dignity, the rights of the people, and the construction of an authentic peace,” the Jesuit Order said.

From Los Angeles Times

Sehri writes that her father was also influenced by the selfless lives of the Jesuit priests and nuns under whom he studied during his school and college years.

From BBC

He studied at a Jesuit seminary before heading to Johns Hopkins University to pursue a degree in medieval French.

From Los Angeles Times