sacrilege

[ sak-ruh-lij ]

noun

1. the violation or profanation of anything sacred or held sacred.
2. an instance of this.
3. the stealing of anything consecrated to the service of God.

sacrilege

/ ˈsækrɪlɪdʒ; ˌsækrɪˈliːdʒɪst /

noun

1. the misuse or desecration of anything regarded as sacred or as worthy of extreme respect

   to play Mozart's music on a kazoo is sacrilege

2. the act or an instance of taking anything sacred for secular use

Derived Forms

• sacrilegist, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sacrilege¹

1275–1325; Middle English < Old French < Latin sacrilegium, equivalent to sacri- (combining form of sacrum holy place) + leg ( ere ) to steal, literally, gather + -ium -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of sacrilege¹

C13: from Old French sacrilège, from Latin sacrilegium, from sacrilegus temple-robber, from sacra sacred things + legere to take

Example Sentences

Frank felt it would be “sacrilege” to cut into the film itself but that the subtitles were left on screen for way too long — “people read pretty fast these days and you don’t need 30 seconds of the word ‘Help!’” — so he made nips and tucks to fit movie and music together.

From Los Angeles Times

But there has been fierce resistance along the way, particularly from some fellow surfers who think the whole idea of turning an intimate, almost zen-like communion with nature into a competition is sacrilege.

From Los Angeles Times

He said he grabbed her arm to prevent what he considered sacrilege, as the Catholic faith considers the Communion bread to be the body of Jesus Christ.

From Seattle Times

“And climbers from the two other disciplines had to train for speed, which they saw as sacrilege. But this was the only way to get into the Olympics.”

From BBC

Sacrilege has rarely looked so seductive.

From BBC