''schism'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260919121947-00-⌔

schism - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Noun

schism (plural schisms)

• A split or separation within a group or organization, typically caused by discord.
  • ✤ A schism broke the organization into two rivals.
  • ✤ Despite personal schisms and differences in spiritual experience, there is a very coherent theology of Snape shared between the wives. To examine this manifestation of religious fandom, I will first discuss the canon scepticism and anti-Rowling sentiment that helps to contextualise the wider belief in Snape as a character who extends beyond book and film.¹
  • ✤ But Harry, in his civilian suit, was also a reminder of the schism between the traditional and the modern in the royal family that can’t be drowned out by pageantry.²
• A movement or organization that splits off from a larger body.
  • ✤ He founded a schism that eventually rivaled the original organization in size.
• (religion) A formal division or split within a religious body.
  • ✤ The schism between Sunnis and Shias happened quite early in Islamic history.
  • ✤ The ordinations could prove to be the first significant crisis for Pope Leo because they provoke a schism – an intentional rupture of the church’s unity.³
• (Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy) A split within Christianity whereby a group is no longer in communion with the Church or its ecclesiastical authorities, but shares essentially the same beliefs; in other words, a political split without the introduction of heresy.

Verb

schism (third-person singular simple present schisms, present participle schisming, simple past and past participle schismed)

• (transitive) To split, divide (a group or organization).
  • ✤ “This is going to schism Maga terribly online,” Kirk said. “You’re going to see—I don’t want to say a Maga civil war, but it’s going to be a Maga online food fight that is going to be very hard to navigate.”⁴

Etymology

From Middle English scisme, from Old French cisme or scisme, from Ancient Greek σχίσμα (skhísma, “division”), from σχίζω (skhízō, “I split”). Doublet of schisma. Compare chasm.

This word was historically pronounced/ˈsɪzəm/(and still is among the clergy); the pronunciations/ˈʃɪzəm/, /ˈskɪzəm/are due to the spelling (the latter may have been reinforced by learned influence); compare schedule.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈskɪzəm/, /ˈsɪzəm/, /ˈʃɪzəm/
• Audio (US): 🔊
• Audio (US): 🔊
• Rhymes: -ɪzəm

Printed 2026-09-19.

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Footnotes

1. 2014 March 3, Zoe Alderton, “‘Snapewives’ and ‘Snapeism’: A Fiction-Based Religion within the Harry Potter Fandom”, in Religions ‎${}^{[1]}$, volume 5, number 1, MDPI, →DOI, archived from the original on 20 December 2014, pages 219–257: ↩

2. 2023 May 6, James Poniewozik, “Charles III Was Crowned King. But Can He Ever Be the Star?”, in The New York Times ‎${}^{[2]}$: ↩

3. 2026 July 1, Angela Giuffrida, “Fears of Catholic schism as defiant sect ordains ultra-conservative bishops”, in The Guardian ‎${}^{[3]}$, →ISSN: ↩

4. 2025 June 14, Guy Chazan, quoting Charlie Kirk, “Trump’s anti-war pledge tested amid Maga base fear of fresh conflict”, in FT Weekend, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 4: ↩