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Jes·u·it

(jĕzh-ĭt, jĕz-, -y-)

1. Roman Catholic Church A member of the Society of Jesus.

2. often jesuit One given to subtle casuistry.

[French Jésuite, from Jésus, Jesus, from Late Latin Iēsus; see JESUS¹.]

Jes′u·iti·cal adj.

Jes′u·iti·cal·ly adv.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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