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sacrilegium

Etymology and origin of the Latin word sacrilegium

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Nepos
Ultimate origin
Latin (sacer,legō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [sa.krɪˈɫɛ.ɡi.ũː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [sa.kriˈlɛː.d͡ʒi.um][1]

Forms

sacrilegium n (genitive sacrilegiī or sacrilegī); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is from sacrilegus “temple robber”, from sacer “sacred” and legō “to gather”, with the suffix -ium.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Nepos, of an impious act, and Livy, of temple robbery.[2] Köbler dates Nepos c. 100–24 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant the robbing of sacred property, temple robbery, as in Livy and Quintilian, who defines it as stealing a sacred thing from a temple.[2][5][6] From Nepos it meant a profane or impious act, sacrilege, as in Seneca.[2][6] Lewis and Short say it is not found before Augustus.[5] Isidore says it properly means the theft of sacred things, and later came to be used of idol worship.[7]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant sacrilege.[8] Medieval Latin used it for idolatry, sorcery, superstition, and the fine for sorcery.[9] It survives in Italian sacrilegio and French sacrilège, and Old French sacrilege gave English sacrilege about 1300.[1][3]

Timeline

  • c. 100–24 BC – Nepos uses it of an impious act.[2][4]
  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of temple robbery.[2][4]
  • c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian defines it.[5][4]
  • c. 1300 – English sacrilege is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Temple robbery.[2]
  2. An impious act, sacrilege.[2]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Idolatry, sorcery.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Isidore of Seville, Etymologiarum sive Originum libri XX, ed. W. M. Lindsay (Oxford, 1911).
  8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  9. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
Cite this entry

“Sacrilegium.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/sacrilegium. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·