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Full Definition of SCHISM. 1. 2. a: formal division in or separation from a church or religious body b: the offense of promoting schism. See schism defined for English-language learners.
Western Schism. Western Schism, also called Great Schism or Great Western Schism, in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, the period from 1378 to 1417, when there were two, and later three, rival popes, each with his own following, his own Sacred College of Cardinals, and his own administrative offices.