profanation

English

Etymology

From Middle French prophanation, profanation, and its source, Late Latin profanatio, from the participle stem of Latin profānāre.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pɹɒfəˈneɪʃ(ə)n/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Noun

profanation (countable and uncountable, plural profanations)

1. 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

• profane

Translations

act of profaning — see desecration

French

Etymology

From profaner +‎ -ation.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

profanation f (plural profanations)

1. profanation

Further reading

• “profanation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.