Back to all words

Schism

3 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means a split in a group

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

skhisma→scisme→schism

Greek · ancient

Greek, from 'skhizein', to split, the root of 'schizophrenia'

Old French · medieval

the Great Schism of 1054 split the Eastern and Western churches

English · 1300s

the 'sch' spelling was restored from Greek

Drag to pan · scroll to zoom

Read the full story

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.