Sect
/sɛkt/noun
A group that has separated from a larger religious, political, or philosophical body.
Did you know?Sect and section both descend from Latin secare, meaning “to cut,” which is why the word’s oldest history is about division, not doctrine.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sek-
“to cut”
Latin
Latin
sectus
“cut, sliced; divided”
Late Latin
Latin
secta
“a course of action; a school of thought, especially a religious following”
Old French
Old French
secte
“a religious faction or party”
Middle English
English
sect
“a religious group or faction”
Modern English
English
sect
“a subgroup separated from a larger religious, political, or philosophical body”