noun
Jesuit
JEH-zoo-iht
noun
1
A member of the Society of Jesus, a Catholic religious order known for its schools and missionary work.
"He was educated by Jesuits and later taught philosophy himself."
2
Informally, someone seen as overly clever or manipulative in argument.
"Critics called the lawyer a jesuit for the way he twisted the wording of the contract."
How to Use Jesuit
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA member of a well-known Catholic religious and teaching order — or, loosely, someone seen as a slippery, hair-splitting arguer.
UK vs US
Capitalize "Jesuit" when referring to the order or its members; the lowercase, insulting sense is rare and dated.
Word Forms
Jesuits plural
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Etymology
From the Latin name of the religious order, the Society of Jesus, founded in the 16th century by Ignatius of Loyola.