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blasphemy - 7 dictionary results

blas⋅phe⋅my

  [blas-fuh-mee]
Use blasphemy in a Sentence
–noun, plural -mies.
1. impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.
2. Judaism.
a. an act of cursing or reviling God.
b. pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton (YHVH) in the original, now forbidden manner instead of using a substitute pronunciation such as Adonai.
3. Theology. the crime of assuming to oneself the rights or qualities of God.
4. irreverent behavior toward anything held sacred, priceless, etc.: He uttered blasphemies against life itself.
Origin:
1175–1225; ME blasphemie < LL blasphēmia < Gk. See blasphemous, -y 3

Synonyms:
1. profanity, cursing, swearing; sacrilege, impiety.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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blas·phe·my   (blās'fə-mē)   
n.   pl. blas·phe·mies
    1. A contemptuous or profane act, utterance, or writing concerning God or a sacred entity.
    2. The act of claiming for oneself the attributes and rights of God.
  2. An irreverent or impious act, attitude, or utterance in regard to something considered inviolable or sacrosanct.

[Middle English blasfemie, from Late Latin blasphēmia, from Greek blasphēmiā, from blasphēmein, to blaspheme; see blaspheme.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Blasphemy

Blas"phe*my\, n. [L. blasphemia, Gr. ?: cf. OF. blasphemie.]

1. An indignity offered to God in words, writing, or signs; impiously irreverent words or signs addressed to, or used in reference to, God; speaking evil of God; also, the act of claiming the attributes or prerogatives of deity.

Note: When used generally in statutes or at common law, blasphemy is the use of irreverent words or signs in reference to the Supreme Being in such a way as to produce scandal or provoke violence.

2. Figuratively, of things held in high honor: Calumny; abuse; vilification.

Punished for his blasphemy against learning. --Bacon.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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blasphemy 
c.1225, from O.Fr. blasfemie, from L.L. blasphemia, from Gk. blasphemia "profane, speech, slander," from blasphemein "to speak evil of." Second element is pheme "utterance" (see fame); first element uncertain, perhaps related to blaptikos "hurtful," though blax "slack (in body and mind), stupid" has also been suggested.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: blas·phe·my
Pronunciation: 'blas-f&-mE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -mies
: the crime of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God or a religion and its doctrines and writings and esp. God as perceived by Christianity and Christian doctrines and writings —see also Amendment I to the CONSTITUTION in the back matter
NOTE: In many states, blasphemy statutes have been repealed as contrary to the First Amendment.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Blasphemy

In the sense of speaking evil of God this word is found in Ps. 74:18; Isa. 52:5; Rom. 2:24; Rev. 13:1, 6; 16:9, 11, 21. It denotes also any kind of calumny, or evil-speaking, or abuse (1 Kings 21:10; Acts 13:45; 18:6, etc.). Our Lord was accused of blasphemy when he claimed to be the Son of God (Matt. 26:65; comp. Matt. 9:3; Mark 2:7). They who deny his Messiahship blaspheme Jesus (Luke 22:65; John 10:36). Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost (Matt. 12:31, 32; Mark 3:28, 29; Luke 12:10) is regarded by some as a continued and obstinate rejection of the gospel, and hence is an unpardonable sin, simply because as long as a sinner remains in unbelief he voluntarily excludes himself from pardon. Others regard the expression as designating the sin of attributing to the power of Satan those miracles which Christ performed, or generally those works which are the result of the Spirit's agency.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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blasphemy

irreverence toward a deity or deities and, by extension, the use of profanity.

Learn more about blasphemy with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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