Definitions for sacrilege
ˈsæc rə lɪdʒsac·ri·lege

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.5 / 2 votes

1. profanation, desecration, blasphemy, sacrilegenoun

   blasphemous behavior; the act of depriving something of its sacred character

   "desecration of the Holy Sabbath"

WiktionaryRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. sacrilegenoun

   desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something regarded as sacred

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. SACRILEGEnoun

   The crime of appropriating to himself what is devoted to religion; the crime of robbing heaven; the crime of violating or profaning things sacred.

   Etymology: sacrilege, Fr. sacrilegium, Lat.

   By what eclipse shall that sun be defac’d,
   What mine hath erst thrown down so fair a tower!
   What sacrilege hath such a saint disgrac’d? Philip Sidney.

   Then ’gan a cursed hand the quiet womb
   Of his great grandmother with steel to wound,
   And the hid treasures in her sacred tomb
   With sacrilege to dig. Fairy Queen.

   We need not go many ages back to see the vengeance of God upon some families, raised upon the ruins of churches, and enriched with the spoils of sacrilege. Robert South, Sermons.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sacrilege

   Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object, site or person. This can take the form of irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things. When the sacrilegious offence is verbal, it is called blasphemy, and when physical, it is often called desecration. In a less proper sense, any transgression against what is seen as the virtue of religion would be a sacrilege, and so is coming near a sacred site without permission. Most ancient religions have a concept analogous to sacrilege, often considered as a type of taboo. The basic idea is that realm of sacrum or haram stands above the world of profanum and its instantiations, see the Sacred–profane dichotomy.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:2.0 / 1 vote

1. Sacrilegenoun

   the sin or crime of violating or profaning sacred things; the alienating to laymen, or to common purposes, what has been appropriated or consecrated to religious persons or uses

2. Etymology: [F. sacrilge, L. sacrilegium, from sacrilegus that steals, properly, gathers or picks up, sacred things; sacer sacred + legere to gather, pick up. See Sacred, and Legend.]

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sacrilege

   Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object or person. It can come in the form of irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things. When the sacrilegious offence is verbal, it is called blasphemy. In a less proper sense, any transgression against what is seen as the virtue of religion would be a sacrilege. "Sacrilege" originates from the Greek sacer, sacred, and legere, to steal, as in Roman times it referred to the plundering of temples and graves. By the time of Cicero, sacrilege had adopted a more expansive meaning, including verbal offences against religion and undignified treatment of sacred objects. Most ancient religions have a concept analogous to sacrilege, often considered as a type of taboo. The basic idea is that sacred objects are not to be treated in the same way as other objects.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:2.0 / 1 vote

1. Sacrilege

   sak′ri-lej, n. profanation of a sacred place or thing: the breaking into a place of worship and stealing therefrom.—n. Sac′rileger (obs.).—adj. Sacrilē′gious, polluted with sacrilege: profane: violating sacred things.—adv. Sacrilē′giously.—ns. Sacrilē′giousness; Sac′rilēgist, one guilty of sacrilege. [Fr. sacrilège—L. sacrilegium—sacer, sacred, legĕre, to gather.]

The Roycroft DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sacrilege

   1. Any impolite act in the presence of a Humbug. 2. To shock the sensibilities of a Nobody. 3. To kill a mystical Mule or swap jokes in public with a Ghost.

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sacrilege

   Song lyrics by sacrilege -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by sacrilege on the Lyrics.com website.

Etymology and OriginsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sacrilege

   Literally the act of despoiling that which is sacred.

Matched Categories

1. • Irreverence

How to pronounce sacrilege?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

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   Mark

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   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

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   Natasha

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   Veena

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   Priya

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   Neerja

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   Zira

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   Oliver

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   Wendy

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   Fred

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   Tessa

   South African

How to say sacrilege in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of sacrilege in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of sacrilege in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of sacrilege in a Sentence

1. Mia Khalifa:

   I’m not Muslim, and no I couldn't say no to it, it was a clever plot aside from the blatant sacrilege.

2. Ashutosh Kumar:

   Sacrilege is an issue that angers the Sikh community as a whole and the upcoming elections are the reasons why politicians have remained silent on the mob lynching.

3. Jeremy Taylor:

   Nothing is greater or more fearful sacrilege than to prostitute the great name of God to the petulancy of an idle tongue.

4. Pope Francis:

   We know abuses are everywhere, in families, in the neighborhoods, in the schools, in the gyms, but when a priest abuses it is very grave because the vocation of the priest is to make that boy, that girl grow towards the love of God, toward maturity, but instead (the victim) is crushed by evil and this is nearly a sacrilege because the priest has betrayed his vocation, the calling of the Lord.

5. Marquis de Sade:

   There is a kind of pleasure which comes from sacrilege or the profanation of the objects offered us for worship.

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