Jesuit

noun

Je·​su·​it ˈje-zü-ət  -zhü- 

 also  -zyü-

1

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

2

: one given to intrigue or equivocation

jesuitical

ˌje-zü-ˈ(w)i-ti-kəl 

-zhü-

-zyü-

adjective

or less commonly jesuitic

ˌje-zü-ˈ(w)i-tik 

-zhü-,

-zyü-

often capitalized usually disparaging

jesuitically

ˌje-zü-ˈ(w)i-ti-k(ə-)lē 

-zhü-

-zyü-

adverb often capitalized

jesuitism

ˈje-zü-ə-ˌti-zəm 

-zhü-

-zyü-

noun

or jesuitry

ˈje-zü-ə-trē 

-zhü-,

-zyü-

often capitalized usually disparaging

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Jesuita, from Late Latin Jesus

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1