schism

[ siz-uhm, skiz- ]

noun

1. division or disunion, especially into mutually opposed parties.
2. the parties so formed.
3. Ecclesiastical.
   1. a formal division within, or separation from, a church or religious body over some doctrinal difference.
   2. the state of a sect or body formed by such division.
   3. the offense of causing or seeking to cause such a division.

schism

/ ˈskɪzəm; ˈsɪz- /

noun

1. the division of a group into opposing factions
2. the factions so formed
3. division within or separation from an established Church, esp the Roman Catholic Church, not necessarily involving differences in doctrine

schism

1. A break within a church , such as the division between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church .

Other Words From

• schismless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of schism¹

1350–1400; < Late Latin (Vulgate) sc ( h ) isma (stem sc ( h ) ismat- ) < Greek, derivative of schízein to split, with -ma (stem -mat- ) noun suffix of result; replacing Middle English ( s ) cisme, sisme < Middle French < Late Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of schism¹

C14: from Church Latin schisma, from Greek skhisma a cleft, from skhizein to split

Example Sentences

The schism within the GOP makes it all the more difficult to mobilize public opinion against Afghan refugees.

From FiveThirtyEight

The position reaffirmed their own validity — and their own authority — among a world of competing voices, as society fractured into increasingly numerous schisms during the 1960s.

From Washington Post

She’s got so much on her shoulders and a real schism within her.

From Washington Post

“There’s a schism in our picture of the world, and this is bridging that gap,” said Leron Borsten, a physicist at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

From Quanta Magazine

To see that schism playing out in companies’ bottom lines, just compare the results of struggling fashion retailers like Banana Republic, Macy’s or Nordstrom with those of those of Lululemon Athleta or Old Navy.

From Fortune

Aberdeen, perched on the North Sea, offers a perfect example of the schism between the top and bottom earners.

From The Daily Beast

The schism in Wisconsin was the first crack in the Republican Party's hegemony.

From The Daily Beast

Instead, journalists reached back to an earlier Republican schism from the days of Ulysses S. Grant.

From The Daily Beast

Those are all products of political systems gone badly awry—through schism, invasion, or breakdown.

From The Daily Beast

For the House of Israel, such authenticity has posed the threat of a schism, between Israel and Diaspora.

From The Daily Beast

More than this, Jacobitism brought the National Church into peril of downright schism.

From Project Gutenberg

Even Bishop Ken said of him that he showed zeal to make the schism incurable.

From Project Gutenberg

This latter party had been rent asunder by the nonjuring schism.

From Project Gutenberg

The schism was not confined to the narrow limits of the Byzantine empire.

From Project Gutenberg

So ended the schism; and Bernard left Rome within five days after finishing his work.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• alienation
• breakup
• disagreement
• discord
• dissension
• fissure
• rift
• rupture