separatism
separatism Lexical Profile
separatism Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The advocacy or practice of cultural, ethnic, religious, or political separation of a group of people from a larger body, especially with the aim of achieving autonomy or secession.
"The historian examined the economic factors that fueled regional separatism during the twentieth century."
The principle or practice of withdrawing from an established church or religious body; religious nonconformity or dissent.
"Seventeenth-century English separatism led several congregations to establish independent communities abroad."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the early 17th century, formed from the verb 'separate' (from Latin separatus, meaning 'divided' or 'set apart') plus the suffix '-ism'. It originally referred to the doctrine of religious dissenters who sought to withdraw from the established Church of England before broadening to political secession.