Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A group of people forming a distinct unit within a larger group by virtue of certain refinements or distinctions of belief or practice.
- noun A religious body, especially one that has separated from a larger denomination.
- noun A faction united by common interests or beliefs.
from The Century Dictionary.
- [lowercase or cap.] An abbreviation of
section . - noun A system or body of doctrines or opinions held by a number of persons and constituting the distinctive doctrines of a school, as propounded originally by the founder or founders of the school and (usually) developed or modified by later adherents; also and usually, the body of persons holding such doctrines or opinions; a school of philosophy or of philosophers: as, the sect of Epicurus; the sect of the Epicureans.
- noun A party or body of persons who unite in holding certain special doctrines or opinions concerning religion, which distinguish them from others holding the same general religious belief; a distinct part of the general body of persons claiming the same religious name or origin; especially, such a party of innovators, differing in their beliefs from those who support the older or orthodox views; a party or faction in a religious body; a separate ecclesiastical organization; an ecclesiastical denomination: as, the sects of the Jewish religion (which were not separately organized); the sects of the Christian church (usually separately organized); Mohammedan sects; Buddhist sects.
- noun A religion.
- noun In a general sense, a number of persons holding the same opinions or practising the same customs, or having common associations or interests; a party; following; company; faction.
- noun Kind; sex: originally merely a particular use of
sect in sense 4, but now regarded as a form ofsex , and as such avoided as incorrect. - noun Apparel; likeness.
- noun In geometry: A part cut out on a straight line; a limited straight line or rod; the part or piece of a straight line between two definite points (end-points of the sect); a portion of a given straight line, of definite length.
- noun A piece of a range bounded by two points.
- noun Two points, A and B, upon a straight adjective
- In mathematics, of sects; operating with sects.
- noun A part cut off; a cutting; scion.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Those following a particular leader or authority, or attached to a certain opinion; a company or set having a common belief or allegiance distinct from others; in religion, the believers in a particular creed, or upholders of a particular practice; especially, in modern times, a party dissenting from an established church; a denomination; in philosophy, the disciples of a particular master; a school; in society and the state, an order, rank, class, or party.
- noun obsolete A cutting; a scion.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun An offshoot of a larger religion; a group sharing particular (often
unorthodox )political and/or religiousbeliefs . - noun A group following a specific
ideal or a leader.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a subdivision of a larger religious group
- noun a dissenting clique
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Today, the term sect in discussions of religion can have a far different meaning than sectarianism in the political left.
Chip Berlet: Abstaining from Bad Sects Chip Berlet 2010
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Today, the term sect in discussions of religion can have a far different meaning than sectarianism in the political left.
Chip Berlet: Abstaining from Bad Sects Chip Berlet 2010
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The historical usage of the term sect in Christendom has had pejorative connotations, referring to a group or movement with heretical beliefs or practices that deviate from those of groups considered orthodox.
Mah butt… - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? 2009
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Today, the term sect in discussions of religion can have a far different meaning than sectarianism in the political left.
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Chip Berlet 2010
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Certainly enough knowledge now to understand why your sect is the sole repository of the truth.
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But he is held, just by virtue of his place in the Bible, the New Testament, by every what you call sect or Christian persuasion.
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But he is held, just by virtue of his place in the Bible, the New Testament, by every what you call sect or Christian persuasion.
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(Daniel 12: 2) \ "" But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
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Iranians are not Semitic people and the Shia sect is not very large in the Arab countries.
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It marks the split between Judaism and Christendom (which he calls a sect) in some obscure comment from Paul about circumcision.
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