entry
faction
/ˈfæk.ʃn̩/contentious group within a larger body
From Latin fac (to do).
from French faction (14c.) and directly
from French faction (14c.) and directly
from French faction (14c.) and directly
from French faction (14c.) and directly
Word Ancestry
from French faction (14c.) and directly
from French faction (14c.) and directly
from French faction (14c.) and directly
from French faction (14c.) and directly
Rome gave this word a surprisingly literal backstage job. A factio was first a team in the chariot races, one of four color-coded crews thundering around the Circus Maximus, and only later did it slide into the darker world of politics, where a faction became a group tugging at power by irregular means. That makes the word a cousin of the whole facere family: fact, factory, facilitate, and even perfect all orbit the idea of doing or making. James Madison pounced on it in Federalist No. 10 in 1787, defining a faction as any group driven by passion or interest against the common good. So when you hear the word today, think of a noisy team that has left the racetrack and moved into the statehouse.
The Story
Rome gave this word a surprisingly literal backstage job. A factio was first a team in the chariot races, one of four color-coded crews thundering around the Circus Maximus, and only later did it slide into the darker world of politics, where a faction became a group tugging at power by irregular means. That makes the word a cousin of the whole facere family: fact, factory, facilitate, and even perfect all orbit the idea of doing or making. James Madison pounced on it in Federalist No. 10 in 1787, defining a faction as any group driven by passion or interest against the common good. So when you hear the word today, think of a noisy team that has left the racetrack and moved into the statehouse.
Kin & Kindred
From 'fac'·to do, make
Derived Terms
English words from this root