a Roman Catholic order founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in 1534 to defend Catholicism against the Reformation and to do missionary work among the heathen; it is strongly committed to education and scholarship
the formal name of the JESUIT s, a large and respected society of Roman Catholic priests, which was established in the 16th century by St IGNATIUS LOYOLA to do MISSIONARY work (= to spread the Catholic religion) and to set up Catholic universities in many parts of the world