The Collaborative International Dictionary
Loretto nuns
Loreto nuns \Lo*ret"o nuns\, or Loretto nuns \Lo*ret"to nuns\ [From Loreto, a city in Italy famous for its Holy House, said to be that in which Jesus lived, brought by angels from Nazareth.] (R. C. Ch.) Members of a congregation of nuns founded by Mrs. Mary Teresa Ball, near Dublin, Ireland, in 1822, and now spread over Ireland, India, Canada, and the United States. The nuns are called also Ladies of Loreto. They are engaged in teaching girls.