Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - sect

 I. noun  Etymology: Middle English ~e, from Anglo-French & Late Latin & Latin; Anglo-French, group, faction, from Late Latin ~a organized ecclesiastical body, from Latin, course of action, way of life, probably from ~ari to pursue, frequentative of sequi to follow — more at sue  Date: 14th century  1.  a. a dissenting or schismatic religious body; especially one regarded as extreme or heretical  b. a religious denomination  2. archaic sex 1 so is all her ~ — Shakespeare  3.  a. a group adhering to a distinctive doctrine or to a leader  b. party  c. faction  II. abbreviation ~ion; ~ional