schism

Where does the word "schism" come from? It comes from Greek skhisma, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Schism’s story begins in Greek: skhisma meant “split.” Greek, from 'skhizein', to split, the root of 'schizophrenia'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as scisme. The Great Schism of 1054 split the Eastern and Western churches. It reached English by 1300s as schism. The 'sch' spelling was restored from Greek. Today, schism means a split in a group.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient skhisma "split", Greek, from 'skhizein', to split, the root of 'schizophrenia'.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval scisme "schism", the Great Schism of 1054 split the Eastern and Western churches.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s schism "church split", the 'sch' spelling was restored from Greek.