sacrilege English · revision 1512

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1300}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈsækɹɪlɪd͡ʒ/ ''(UK)''; /ˈsækɹəlɪd͡ʒ/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|sacrilege]], [[m|enm|sacrylage]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate) [[bor|fro|sacrilege]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) from [[la|sacrilegium|t=temple robbery, theft of sacred things]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) from [[m|la|sacrilegus|t=temple robber]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) from [[m|la|sacrum|t=sacred object]], neuter of [[m|la|sacer|t=sacred]] (see [[sacred]]), and [[m|la|legere|t=to gather, take, steal]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(Klein 1966) from [[ine-pro|*leg-|t=to collect, gather]].^(Etymonline)^(AHD)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The crime or sin of stealing or misusing what is consecrated to God (before 1300 in the OED; about 1303 in Barnhart; about 1300 in Etymonline).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Etymonline notes that the second element has nothing to do with ''religion'', despite the apparent likeness.^(Etymonline) In church use the word was extended to any outrage on sacred persons, places or things.^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024) The figurative sense, the profanation of anything held sacred, dates from 1390,^(OED 1989) and today it may describe irreverence toward anything regarded as worthy of great respect, as in Collins's example of playing Mozart on a kazoo.^(Collins 2023) In 19th-century popular use it named robbery from a church (1820).^(OED 1989) ''Sacrilegious'' is recorded from about 1449.^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 1300 – theft of sacred things.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1303 – ''sacrylage''.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1390 – profanation of anything held sacred.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1449 – ''sacrilegious''.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1820 – robbery from a church.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The desecration, profanation, misuse or theft of something [[sacred]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Gross irreverence toward a person, place or thing held in great respect.^(MW Collegiate)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[sacrilegist]]

+ * [[sacrilegious]]

+ * [[sacrilegiously]]

+ * [[sacrilegiousness]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[sacred]]

+ * [[sacrament]]

+ * [[desecration]]

+ * [[profane]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}