sacrilege
sacrilege Lexical Profile
sacrilege Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The violation, profanation, or gross misuse of anything regarded as sacred or holy.
"Defacing the ancient altar was condemned by the local community as an unforgivable act of sacrilege."
An outrageous violation of an established tradition, rule, or cherished value in a non-religious context.
"To traditional Italian chefs, breaking dry spaghetti in half before boiling it is nothing short of culinary sacrilege."
Word Nuance & Usage
Frequently misspelled due to confusion with 'religion', 'sacrilege' (along with its adjective 'sacrilegious') puts the 'i' before the 'e' because it derives from the Latin roots for 'sacred' (sacer) and 'steal' (legere), not from 'religious'.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed into Middle English via Old French from the Latin 'sacrilegium', meaning the theft of sacred objects from a temple, combining 'sacer' (sacred) and 'legere' (to gather or steal).