Denominationalized

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Organized into separate religious denominations, each with its own distinct structure, doctrine and governing body
2. Rendered into distinct church bodies or sects that operate as separate branches within a wider faith
3. Divided along sectarian lines so that a religion takes the form of many distinct, named church communities

Etymology: "Denominationalized" is the past tense and past participle of "denominationalize," meaning to split into sects. It is built from "denominational" plus the suffix "-ize," which turns an adjective into a verb meaning "to make or become" something. Its pieces are a Latin-rooted noun, "denomination," meaning a named group or class, with the adjective ending "-al" added, and then the verb-forming "-ize," which came into English through Latin and Greek. The Latin root "denominare" means "to name," with the prefix "de-" and "nomen," "name." Church and religious usage gave "denomination" its sense of a religious body with its own name and organization, and "denominational" followed from that. Adding "-ize" produced a verb for a religious group that divides into named bodies, or for an institution that is organized along denominational lines.

Synonyms: secularized, nonsectarian