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profanation

 - 3 dictionary results

prof⋅a⋅na⋅tion

  [prof-uh-ney-shuhn]
Use profanation in a Sentence
–noun
the act of profaning; desecration; defilement; debasement.
Origin:
1545–55; < LL profānātiōn- (s. of profānātiō) desecration, equiv. to L profānāt(us) (ptp. of profānāre to profane ) + -iōn- -ion; r. prophanation < MF < ML prophānātiō, for LL profānātiō, as above

Synonyms:
sacrilege, blasphemy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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prof·a·na·tion   (prŏf'ə-nā'shən)   
n.  The act or an instance of profaning; desecration.
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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Encyclopedia

profanation

originally, the theft of something sacred; as early as the 1st century BC, however, the Latin term for sacrilege came to mean any injury, violation, or profanation of sacred things. Legal punishment for such acts was already sanctioned, in the Levitical code of ancient Israel. The Israelites had extensive rules to safeguard what was holy or consecrated, violation of which (especially of temple laws) often led to mob violence.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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