'scission' originates from Latin, specifically the Medieval Latin word 'scissio', where the root 'scindere' meant 'to split, rend.'

'scission' changed from the Medieval Latin word 'scissio' (from Latin 'scindere') and was adopted into English (via learned borrowing, influenced by French usage) as the modern English word 'scission'.

Initially, it referred primarily to the act of cutting or splitting; over time it came to be used more often for figurative separations (for example, organizational or political divisions), which is its common modern sense.