gesuita

Jesuit

noun jeh-zoo-EE-tah Rare

Origin: New Latin Jesuita, from Iesus (Jesus)

Usage Note

Gesuita refers to a member of the Society of Jesus (Compagnia di Gesù), a Catholic religious order founded by St Ignatius of Loyola in 1540. With a lowercase g, it is also used pejoratively to mean a scheming, two-faced person — a usage rooted in historical anti-Jesuit polemics. The noun is masculine (un gesuita), with the plural gesuiti. Pope Francis is the first Jesuit pope.

Examples

"Il gesuita insegnava filosofia nel collegio."

Natural Translation

The Jesuit taught philosophy at the college.

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