Fissure (noun)

1. A long, narrow crack or opening in a rock, surface, or substance.
2. A split or division in a group, organization, or society.

Origin:

Late middle english: from old french fissure or latin fissura, from fiss- 'split', from findere.

Examples:

1. A fissure in the dam led to its collapse.
2. The political party was riven by a fissure between the right and left wings.
3. The athlete was seen to have a fissure on the back of his hand.
4. Fissures in the Earth's surface are where magma rises and solidifies, creating new land.
5. The church split into two denominations, with a fissure between the traditionalists and the reformers.