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

Election observers told Reuters news agency that two members of Assad's Alawite sect and several ethnic Kurds also won seats.

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He was found to have been outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, something that’s still deemed to have been “bad” by a small but critical sect within the Senate Republican conference.

Read more on Slate

Co-written with partner and frequent collaborator Brady Corbet, the film continues their shared interest in historical fiction, this time based on the story of the founder of the religious sect known as the Shakers.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

People accused of child abuse could receive significantly larger payments than their alleged victims under plans to share the fortune of a disgraced evangelical sect.

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"I don't think it followed any Christian code whatsoever," says Graham Lewis, 66, who worked as a nurse practitioner for the sect.

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Related Words

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