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 (UK) (file)
Noun
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 946730821:
- 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.
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Related terms
- profane
Translations
act of profaning — see desecration
French
Etymology
profaner + -ation
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
Noun
profanation f (plural profanations)
- profanation
Further reading
- “profanation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.