Jacobin

[ jak-uh-bin ]

noun

1. (in the French Revolution) a member of a radical society or club of revolutionaries that promoted the Reign of Terror and other extreme measures, active chiefly from 1789 to 1794: so called from the Dominican convent in Paris, where they originally met.
2. an extreme radical, especially in politics.
3. a Dominican friar.
4. (lowercase) one of a fancy breed of domestic pigeons having neck feathers that hang over the head like a hood.

Jacobin

/ ˈdʒækəbɪn /

noun

1. a member of the most radical club founded during the French Revolution, which overthrew the Girondists in 1793 and, led by Robespierre, instituted the Reign of Terror
2. a leftist or extreme political radical
3. a French Dominican friar
4. sometimes not capital a variety of fancy pigeon with a hood of feathers swept up over and around the head

adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or relating to the Jacobins or their policies

Derived Forms

• ˈJacobinism, noun
• ˌJacoˈbinically, adverb
• ˌJacoˈbinic, adjective

Other Words From

• Jaco·binic Jaco·bini·cal adjective
• Jaco·bin·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Jacobin¹

1275–1325; Middle English Jacobin < Old French ( frere ) jacobin < Medieval Latin ( frater ) Jacōbinus. See Jacob, -in ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of Jacobin¹

C14: from Old French, from Medieval Latin Jacōbīnus, from Late Latin Jacōbus James; applied to the Dominicans, from the proximity of the church of St Jacques (St James) to their first convent in Paris; the political club originally met in the convent in 1789

Example Sentences

In that respect, argues policy analyst Matt Bruenig in Jacobin, the Harris plan falls short by by funneling public money into the for-profit housing market, offering only temporary affordability to working and middle-class Americans.

From Salon

The currency was primarily supported by a political group known as the Jacobins, a party whose power waned throughout the revolution.

From Science Daily

Robin sees darker currents in a Burke who understood Jacobin violence as implicit in every attempt at political reform.

From Salon

Jacobin, a socialist magazine, noted that the Servant Foundation has donated $50m to the Alliance Defending Freedom, an organisation that is designated as an anti-LGBT hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

From BBC

In a 2020 essay that appeared in Jacobin, political scientist Douglas McAdam, who is one of the world's leading experts on social movements, described the moment:

From Salon