sect
An offshoot of a larger religion or denominationAn offshoot of a larger religion or denomination.
» Tom joined a weird millennialist sect.
Meaning
4 sensesAn offshoot of a larger religion or denomination.
a religious sect
A group following a specific ideal or a leader.
(historical, uncountable)An ancient astrological concept, a form of polarity by which heavenly bodies were designated as either diurnal or nocturnal.
(obsolete)A cutting; a scion.
- a subdivision of a larger religious group
- a dissenting clique
Examples
21 sentencesTom joined a weird millennialist sect.
Tom joined a weird millenarianist sect.
Not every sect is a cult.
Tom grew up in a heretical sect.
Many sects have initiation rituals for new members.
ruВо многих сектах есть ритуал посвящения новых участников.
deBei vielen Sekten gibt es für neue Mitglieder Initiationsriten.
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
From Middle English secte, from Old French secte (“a sect in philosophy or religion”), froFrom Middle English secte, from Old French secte (“a sect in philosophy or religion”), from Late Latin secta (“a sect in philosophy or religion, a school, party, faction, class, guild, band, particularly a heretical doctrine or sect, etc.”), possibly, from Latin sequi (“to follow”). Alternatively linked to sectus (“cut off, divided”), past participle of secō.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: sectsSynonyms
3 synonyms- a subdivision of a larger religious group:religious sectreligious order
- a dissenting clique:faction