Secta

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A subgroup or division within a larger religious, political, or philosophical organization, often with distinct beliefs
2. A particular branch or faction characterized by specific doctrines and practices separate from a mainstream group
3. An organized group of individuals sharing a common belief system that diverges from orthodox teachings of a broader faith or ideology

Etymology: Latin "secta" comes from "sequi," "to follow," and originally meant a way of life or a line of conduct, something one followed. The sense of a party or school of thought, and then a religious sect, grew out of that idea of a path taken by a group of followers. In Roman usage it could describe a school of philosophers or a political faction, with no sense of heresy attached. The word reached English in the Middle Ages, mostly through Latin and Church writing, and its religious connotation of a dissenting group set apart from the main body took hold in the same period. Its English relative "suit," in the sense of a legal petition or a set of matching clothes, comes from the same Latin root, a helpful reminder that "following" and "going after" lie at the heart of many words in the family.

Synonyms: sect, denomination, faction, cult, group

Antonyms: mainstream, orthodoxy