sect

¹

[sekt]

noun

1. a body of persons adhering to a particular religious faith; a religious denomination.

2. a group regarded as heretical or as deviating from a generally accepted religious tradition.

3. (in the sociology of religion) a Christian denomination characterized by insistence on strict qualifications for membership, as distinguished from the more inclusive groups called churches.

4. any group, party, or faction united by a specific doctrine or under a doctrinal leader.

-sect

²

1. a combining form with the meaning “cut,” used in the formation of compound words bisect, dissect, exsect .

sect.

³

abbreviation

1. section.

-sect

¹

combining form

1. to cut or divide, esp into a specified number of parts

   trisect

sect

²

/ sɛkt /

noun

1. a subdivision of a larger religious group (esp the Christian Church as a whole) the members of which have to some extent diverged from the rest by developing deviating beliefs, practices, etc

2. derogatory

   1. a schismatic religious body characterized by an attitude of exclusivity in contrast to the more inclusive religious groups called denominations or Churches

   2. a religious group regarded as extreme or heretical

3. a group of people with a common interest, doctrine, etc; faction

sect

1. A religious group, especially one that has separated from a larger group. Sect is often a term of disapproval.

Other Word Forms

• subsect noun
• undersect noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sect¹

1300–50; Middle English secte < Latin secta something to follow, pathway, course of conduct, school of thought, probably noun derivative of sectārī to pursue, accompany, wait upon, frequentative of sequī to follow

Origin of sect²

From Latin sectus, past participle of secāre “to cut”

Word History and Origins

Origin of sect¹

from Latin sectus cut, from secāre to cut; see _saw ¹

Origin of sect²

C14: from Latin secta faction, following, from the stem of sequī to follow

Example Sentences

The tour might’ve been a gargantuan success, but it also exhausted a sect of the public who didn’t care about 24/7 Swift-mania.

From Salon

Once known as Colonia Dignidad, it was home to a secretive religious sect founded by a manipulative and abusive leader who collaborated with the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

From BBC

That has been especially true for the Druze, adherents of a syncretic sect that is an offshoot of Shiite Islam who constitute some 3% of Syria’s population.

From Los Angeles Times

Many Syrian Druze speak proudly — and often — of their sect’s role in building the country’s nationalist consciousness, with families touting their filial link to Sultan Al-Atrash, a revolutionary who mounted an uprising against French rule in Syria in the 1920s.

From Los Angeles Times

Waves of sectarian attacks have only reinforced their suspicions of Al-Sharaa: In March, government-linked factions massacred about 1,500 people, mostly from the Alawite sect, and in May, clashes in Druze-majority areas near the capital left 39 people dead.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• church 
• creed 
• cult 
• denomination 
• faction 
• faith 
• religion