profanation
English edit
Etymology edit
From Middle French prophanation, profanation, and its source, Late Latin profanatio, from the participle stem of Latin profānāre.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
profanation (countable and uncountable, plural profanations)
- The act of profaning; desecration, blasphemous behaviour, defilement.
- 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 37, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
- those which mocke and condemne it, intend neverthelesse to wrong this noble vertue; but onely to condemne the abuse and profanation of so sacred a title […].
- 1826-06, The Gentleman's Magazine, page 528:
- […] but there is a time and a season for all things, and we look upon such attempts as that before us, with a certain portion of respect for a good intention, but as a lamentable want of judgment and good taste, not to speak of a familiarity with the phraseology of Scripture, little short of profanation.
Related terms edit
Translations edit
act of profaning — see desecration
French edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Audio (file)
Noun edit
profanation f (plural profanations)
Further reading edit
- “profanation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.