scission

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The Word of the Day for February 5 is:=20

scission   \SIZH-un\   noun
        *1 : a division or split in a group or union : schism=20
     2 : an action or process of cutting, dividing, or splitting : the s=
tate of being cut, divided, or split

Example sentence:
          Despite the bitter scissions that divided their party, the Rep=
ublicans dominated the state's political scene throughout the 1990s.

Did you know?
          You may suspect that a connection exists between "scission" an=
d "scissors," but, actually, their etymologies are sharply divided. "Sci=
ssion" traces to the Latin verb "scindere" ("to split" or "to cut"). "Sc=
issors," on the other hand, comes from an entirely separate Latin verb t=
hat also means "to cut" -- "caedere." The Middle English word for the cu=
tting instrument was "cisours" or "sisoures," which comes from Middle Fr=
ench "cisoires." An "sc" spelling appeared only in the 16th century when=
, apparently, the word for the cutting instrument was mistakenly taken t=
o have derived, like "scission," from "scindere."=20





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