Word of the Day for Monday, August 20, 2007

faction \FAK-shuhn\, noun:

1. A usually contentious or self-seeking group within a larger group, party, government, etc.
2. Party strife and intrigue; internal dissension.

For most of his colleagues, Leonid Ilich Brezhnev, who had succeeded Khrushchev as First (later General) Secretary, was a far more reassuring figure -- affable, lightweight and patient in reconciling opposing factions, though skillf-- Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin, The Sword and the Shieldul in outmaneuvering his political rivals.

Leaders of the party's reform faction, decisively defeated for top posts, have not heeded the call for post-election unity. -- "El Salvador: Orthodox Faction Holds on to Power in the FMLN", NotiCen, December 6, 2001

As Madison wrote in Federalist no. 10, the purpose of the Constitution was to constrain special interest politics, or what he called "the violence of faction." -- James T. Bennett and Thomas J. Di Lorenzo, CancerScam

While Britannia Triumphans opened with a scene in which rebellious citizens of past reigns are dispelled by Heroic Virtue, faction, disorder and rebellion were much harder to deal with in British society
-- John Brewer, The Pleasures of the Imagination

Faction comes from Latin factio, faction-, from the past participle of facere, "to do, to make."

Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for faction

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Dear BJ Usually I know I very poor in English language. But when I read your forum. Then I think I must go back to school to learn more. Thanks again

Hi Bj,

Thank you for this forum. It's always nice to learn something new.

Chris

Hello Bj,
Very interesting word. I thought it would mean the opposite of fiction.

Mary

Hey Mary

You would think so, but doesn't.  I know I was looking for a word the other day, to fit what I wanted to go in an email, describing a certain person, and it gave me the idea, to post the word of the day.

So here I am

Bj