SECT  , a See also:

• BODY

body of persons holding distinctive or See also:

• SEPARATE

separate doctrines or opinions, especially in matters of See also:

• RELIGION
• RELIGION, FOLKLORE, CUSTOM

religion; thus there are various sects among the See also:

• JEWS
• JEWS (Heb. Y8hudi, man of Judah; Gr. 'Iovbaiot; Lat. Judaei)

Jews, the Mahommedans, and the Buddhists, &c . In the See also:

• CHRISTIAN
• CHRISTIAN, WILLIAM (1608-1663)

Christian See also:

• CHURCH
• CHURCH (according to most authorities derived from the Gr. Kvpcaxov [&wµa], " the Lord's [house]," and common to many Teutonic, Slavonic and other languages under various forms—Scottish kirk, Ger. Kirche, Swed. kirka, Dan. kirke, Russ. tserkov, Buig. cerk
• CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN (1826-1900)
• CHURCH, GEORGE EARL (1835–1910)
• CHURCH, RICHARD WILLIAM (1815–189o)
• CHURCH, SIR RICHARD (1784–1873)

Church it has usually a hostile or depreciatory sense and is applied, like " sectary," to all religious bodies outside the one to which the user of the See also:

• TERM

term belongs . The latter use has been influenced by the false See also:

• ETYMOLOGY (Gr. grvµos, true, and X6yos, "account)

etymology which makes the word mean " cut off " (See also:

• LAT

Lat. secare, to cut) . The derivation has been See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long a See also:

• MATTER

matter of dispute . The Latin secta was used in classical Latin first of a way, a trodden or beaten path ; it seems to be derived from secare, to cut, cf. the phrase secare viam, to travel, take one's way, Gr. r zvecv bIbv . From the phrase sec/am sequi, to follow in the footsteps of any one, the word came to mean a party, following, See also:

• FACTION (through the French, from Lat. factio, a company of persons combined for action, facere, to do; from the other French derivative facon comes " fashion ")

faction . Another transferred sense is a manner or mode of See also:

• LIFE

life, so hanc sectam rationemque vitae . . . secuti sumus (Cie . Gael . 17, 40) . It was also the See also:

• REGULAR

regular word for a school of See also:

• PHILOSOPHY (Gr. gthos, fond of, and vo4 (a, wisdom)

philosophy and so translates alpeats, lit. choice (alpeIaBac,to choose), from which is derived " See also:

• HERESY

heresy " (q.v.) . The See also:

• VULGATE (from Lat. vulgus, the common people)

Vulgate (N.T.) translates aipeocs sometimes by secta, sometimes by haeresis .

In Med . Lat., besides these uses we find secta meaning a suit at See also:

• LAW
• LAW (0. Eng. lagu, M. Eng. lawe; from an old Teutonic root lag, " lie," what lies fixed or evenly; cf. Lat. lex, Fr. loi)
• LAW, JOHN (1671—1729)
• LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761)

law, a suit of clothes, and a following or See also:

• SUITE (Suite de pieces; Ordre; Partita)

suite . These meanings point to the derivation of secta adopted by See also:

• SKEAT, WALTER WILLIAM (1835– )

Skeat (Etym . See also:

• DIET

Diet., 1910) ; which connects the word with sequi, to follow . Whichever derivation is accepted a " sect " does not mean a See also:

• PART

part " cut off " from the church .