Jacobin
[ jak-uh-bin ]
/ ˈdʒæk ə bɪn /
noun
(in the French Revolution) a member of a radical society or club of revolutionaries that promoted the Reign of Terror and other extreme measures, active chiefly from 1789 to 1794: so called from the Dominican convent in Paris, where they originally met.
an extreme radical, especially in politics.
a Dominican friar.
(lowercase)
one of a fancy breed of domestic pigeons having neck feathers that hang over the head like a hood.
Origin of Jacobin
OTHER WORDS FROM Jacobin
Jac·o·bin·ic, Jac·o·bin·i·cal, adjective Jac·o·bin·ism, nounExample sentences from the Web for jacobins
British Dictionary definitions for jacobins
Jacobin
/ (ˈdʒækəbɪn) /
noun
a member of the most radical club founded during the French Revolution, which overthrew the Girondists in 1793 and, led by Robespierre, instituted the Reign of Terror
a leftist or extreme political radical
a French Dominican friar
(sometimes not capital)
a variety of fancy pigeon with a hood of feathers swept up over and around the head
adjective
of, characteristic of, or relating to the Jacobins or their policies
Derived forms of Jacobin
Jacobinic or Jacobinical, adjective Jacobinically, adverb Jacobinism, nounWord Origin for Jacobin
C14: from Old French, from Medieval Latin
Jacōbīnus, from Late Latin
Jacōbus James; applied to the Dominicans, from the proximity of the church of
St Jacques (St James) to their first convent in Paris; the political club originally met in the convent in 1789
Cultural definitions for jacobins
Jacobins
[ (jak-uh-binz) ]
An extreme radical party during the French Revolution named for the place where its founders first met, a convent of Jacobin friars. It was led by Robespierre.
notes for Jacobins
In general, a member of an extremist or radical group is often called a “Jacobin.”