The Order of Preachers (Ordo fratrum Praedicatorum), after 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order, or Dominicans is a Catholic religious order, created by Saint Dominic in the early 13th century in France. A Dominican friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders, the Dominican Order. The word friar is etymologically related to the word for "brother" in Latin.
In England and some other countries the Dominicans are referred to as Blackfriars on account of the black cappa or cloak they wear over their white habits (for the same reason, Carmelites are known as "Whitefriars" and Franciscans as "Greyfriars"—although the habit of the Franciscan friar is in fact brown). In France, the Dominicans are also known as Jacobins, because their first convent in Paris bore the name "Saint Jacques", and Jacques is Jacobus in Latin. They have also been referred to using a Latin pun, as "Domini canes", or "The Hounds of God", a reference to the order's reputation as most obedient servants of the faith, with perhaps a negative connotation or reference to the order's involvement with the Holy Inquisition. Members of the order often carry the letters O.P. after their name.
Saint Dominic established a religious community in Toulouse in 1214, officially recognized as an order by Pope Honorius III in 1216. Founded under the Augustinian rule, the Dominican Order is one of the great orders of mendicant friars that revolutionized religious life in Europe during the High Middle Ages. Founded to preach the gospel and to combat heresy, the Order is famed for its intellectual tradition, having produced many leading theologians and philosophers. The Dominican Order is headed by the Master of the Order, who is currently Brother Carlos Azpiroz Costa.