blaspheme

[blas-feem, blas-feem]

verb (used with object), blas·phemed, blas·phem·ing.

to speak impiously or irreverently of (God or sacred things).

to speak evil of; slander; abuse.

verb (used without object), blas·phemed, blas·phem·ing.

to speak irreverently of God or sacred things; utter impieties.

Origin of blaspheme

1300–50; Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Late Latin blasphēmāre < Greek blasphēmeîn to speak profanely, derivative of blásphēmos blasphemous

Related formsblas·phem·er

[blas-fee-mer, blas-fee-, -fuh-] /blæsˈfi mər, ˈblæs fi-, -fə-/, nounun·blas·phemed, adjective

Synonym study

1. See curse.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for blasphemes

cuss, swear, revile

Examples from the Web for blasphemes

Historical Examples of blasphemes

Go into that hall of revelry, where ungodly mirth staggers and blasphemes.
The Wedding Ring
T. De Witt Talmage
So he preaches, but he blasphemes, saying, 'I came forth from God.'
Looking Back
Merrick Abner Richardson
I prefer the atheist who blasphemes to the sceptic who cavils.
Bouvard and Pcuchet, part 2
Gustave Flaubert
When, in the name of God, he resists education and science, he blasphemes.
Flowers of Freethought
George W. Foote
When, in the name of God, he opposes the equal rights of all, he blasphemes.
Flowers of Freethought
George W. Foote

British Dictionary definitions for blasphemes

blaspheme

verb

(tr) to show contempt or disrespect for (God, a divine being, or sacred things), esp in speech

(intr) to utter profanities, curses, or impious expressions

Derived Formsblasphemer, noun

Word Origin for blaspheme

C14: from Late Latin blasphēmāre, from Greek blasphēmein from blasphēmos blasphemous

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for blasphemes

blaspheme

mid-14c., from Old French blasfemer "to blaspheme" (14c., Modern French blasphémer), from Church Latin blasphemare (also in Late Latin "revile, reproach"), from Greek blasphemein "to speak lightly or amiss of sacred things, to slander," from blasphemos "evil-speaking" (see blasphemy). A reintroduction after the original word had been worn down and sense-shifted to blame. Related: Blasphemed; blaspheming.