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blaspheme

[blas-feem, blas-feem]
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verb (used with object), blas·phemed, blas·phem·ing.
  1. to speak impiously or irreverently of (God or sacred things).
  2. to speak evil of; slander; abuse.
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verb (used without object), blas·phemed, blas·phem·ing.
  1. to speak irreverently of God or sacred things; utter impieties.
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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. 2018

Examples from the Web for blasphemes

Historical Examples

  • 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.

  • 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
  1. (tr) to show contempt or disrespect for (God, a divine being, or sacred things), esp in speech
  2. (intr) to utter profanities, curses, or impious expressions
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Derived Formsblasphemer, noun

Word Origin

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

v.

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper