Etymograph

English

sectary

Sectary may come from French sectaire ‘sectarian’.

  1. Frenchc. 1600–presentsectaire1‘sectarian’uncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1872sectary1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English sectary
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1872, John Greenleaf Whittier, The Pennsylvania Pilgrim: “Be it as it may: within the Land of…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Frenchc. 1600–presentsectaireWiktionary, English sectary‘sectarian’uncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1872sectaryWiktionary, English sectary. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1872, John Greenleaf Whittier, The Pennsylvania Pilgrim: “Be it as it may: within the Land of…”

Linked words

through Latin sectus ‘cut off, amputated, divided’

section, 2 more

Today it means

noun A member of a particular sect, school of thought or practice, party, or profession; a sectarian.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “sectary”. 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 / French sectaire / sectary

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