profanation

[ prof-uh-ney-shuhn ]

/ ˌprɒf əˈneɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR profanation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of profaning; desecration; defilement; debasement.

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Origin of profanation

1545–55; < Late Latin profānātiōn- (stem of profānātiō) desecration, equivalent to Latin profānāt(us) (past participle of profānāre to profane) + -iōn- -ion; replacing prophanation < Middle French < Medieval Latin prophānātiō, for Late Latin profānātiō, as above

SYNONYMS FOR profanation

sacrilege, blasphemy.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR profanation ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Examples from the Web for profanation

To sanctify the day at church, and to trifle it away out of church, is profanation, and vitiates all.
The Works of William Cowper|William Cowper
Haggerstone and he were intimates were it not a profanation of the word, we should say friends.
The Daltons, Volume I (of II)|Charles James Lever
But in this quiet place, upon this quiet night, and in the colonel's mood, it seemed like profanation.
The Colonel's Dream|Charles W. Chesnutt
It was in vain that the Muftis interposed, reprobating so great a profanation, and uttering warnings as to its consequences.
The International Weekly Miscellany, Volume I. No. 9.|Various

It seemed to Miss Rothermel profanation to have her brother's name spoken by this woman.
Missy|Miriam Coles Harris

Word Origin and History for profanation

profanation

1550s, from Old French prophanation (15c., Modern French profanation) or directly from Late Latin profanationem (nominative profanatio), noun of action from past participle stem of profanare (see profane (adj.)).

profanation

noun

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Origin of profanation

Examples from the Web for profanation

profanation