Dissencion

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Angry or bitter disagreement that splits a group of people into opposing sides
2. Conflict of opinion among members of a community, family, or organization that causes division
3. A state of discord in which people or factions hold strongly opposing views and fail to agree

Etymology: "Dissencion" is an older spelling of "dissension," a word English borrowed from Latin in the 14th century via Old French. Its root is the Latin verb "dissentire," meaning "to disagree" or "to feel differently," built from "dis-" (apart, asunder) and "sentire" (to feel, perceive). The same Latin root gives us "sense" and "sentiment," so a dissension is literally a difference in feeling or perception that has come apart from someone else's. The spelling "dissencion" reflects the Old French form "dissension," which ended in -cion, matching many other English words borrowed from French in that period such as "passion" and "nation." Over the following centuries English spelling shifted, and the modern "dissension" with its double s became standard, while "dissencion" survives mainly as an archaic or variant form found in older texts.