English
sect
Sect comes from Old French secte ‘a sect in philosophy or religion’, and goes back to Late Latin secta.
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEsecta1‘a sect in philosophy or religion, a school, party, faction, class, guild, band’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400secte1‘a sect in philosophy or religion’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500secte1‘a religion or religious organisation’
- Englishearliest quotation 1984sect1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English sect
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1984, Steven M. Tipton, University of California Press: “Zen Center welcomes visitors, guests, and prospective students, but…”.
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEsectaWiktionary, English sect‘a sect in philosophy or religion, a school, party, faction, class, guild, band’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400secteWiktionary, English sect‘a sect in philosophy or religion’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500secteWiktionary, English sect‘a religion or religious organisation’
- Englishearliest quotation 1984sectWiktionary, English sect. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1984, Steven M. Tipton, University of California Press: “Zen Center welcomes visitors, guests, and prospective students, but…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- ‘to follow’
say, see, social, saw, society, second, executive, sight, associate, sue, subsequent, suite, consequence, saga, consequently, intrinsic, sequential, dissociation, sequestration, extrinsic, dissociate, sequester, seg, 30 more
through Proto-Italic *sekʷōr ‘to follow, come/go after’
through Latin sequor ‘to follow’
suit, pursue, sequence, consecutive, prosecution, execute, sequel, persecution, ensue, consequent, executor, persecute, segue, sequitur, 18 more
Today it means
noun An offshoot of a larger religion or denomination.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “sect”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Late Latin secta / sect