desecrations
|de-se-cra-tions|
🇺🇸
/ˌdɛsɪˈkreɪʃənz/
🇬🇧
/ˌdɛsɪˈkreɪʃ(ə)nz/
(desecration)
making something unholy; treating the sacred with disrespect
Etymology
'desecration' originates from Latin, specifically from the verb-form elements 'de-' + 'sacrare' (from 'sacer'), where 'de-' meant 'away/remove' and 'sacer' meant 'sacred'.
'desecration' entered English via Old French (e.g. 'dessecration') and Middle English forms (such as 'desecracioun'), ultimately becoming the modern English 'desecration'.
Initially the components implied 'removal of sacredness' (make not sacred), and over time it came to mean the act of treating something sacred with contempt or violent disrespect.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'desecration': acts of treating sacred places or things with violent disrespect; sacrileges.
The community protested the repeated desecrations of their sacred sites.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/25 07:36