SECT

Sect

A sect is a subgroup of a religious, political or philosophical belief system, usually an offshoot of a larger religious group. Although in past it was mostly used to refer to religious groups, it has since expanded and in modern culture can refer to any organization that breaks away from a larger one to follow a different set of rules and principles. The term is occasionally used in a malicious way to suggest the broken-off group follows a more negative path than the original. 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 ...

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sect

Noun

  1. An offshoot of a larger religion; a group sharing particular (often unorthodox) political and/or religious beliefs.
    A religious sect.
  2. A group following a specific ideal or a leader.
  3. A cutting; a scion.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: sect
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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