English word origin

Etymology of sect

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

An offshoot of a larger religion or denomination. · A group following a specific ideal or a leader. · A cutting; a scion.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From 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.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*sek-ine-pro
Root classification mention*sekʷ-ine-pro
Inherited-form mentionsecteenm
Derivation mentionsectefro
Derivation mentionsequila

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*sek-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*sekʷ-",
        "id": "follow"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "secte"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English secte"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "secte",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a sect in philosophy or religion"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French secte (“a sect in philosophy or religion”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-lat",
        "3": "secta",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a sect in philosophy or religion, a school, party, faction, class, guild, band, particularly a heretical doctrine or sect, etc."
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin secta (“a sect in philosophy or religion, a school, party, faction, class, guild, band, particularly a heretical doctrine or sect, etc.”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "sequi",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to follow"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin sequi (“to follow”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "secte",
      "secte#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "secte",
      "secte#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "secta",
      "secta#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "sequi",
      "sequi#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "sectus",
      "sectus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "secō",
      "seco#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An offshoot of a larger religion or denomination.",
        "A group following a specific ideal or a leader.",
        "A cutting; a scion."
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

An ancient astrological concept, a form of polarity by which heavenly bodies were designated as either diurnal or nocturnal.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

No narrative was extracted for this section. Available source templates and references appear below; no ancestor chain has been invented to fill the gap.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for sect →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-c2VjdA