Link Centre Dictionary

profane

pro·fane

UK/pɹəˈfeɪn/ US/pɹəˈfeɪn/ uncommon

adjective

1.

characterized by profanity or cursing

  • “foul-mouthed and blasphemous”
  • “blue language”
  • “profane words”
Similar
2.

not sacred or concerned with religion

  • “sacred and profane music”
  • “children being brought up in an entirely profane environment”
3.
4.

grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred

  • “blasphemous rites of a witches”
  • “;”
  • “;”

verb

2.

violate the sacred character of a place or language

  • “desecrate a cemetary”
  • “violate the sanctity of the church”
  • “profane the name of God”

Origin

From Middle French prophane, from Latin profānus (“not religious, unclean”), from pro- (“instead of”) + fānum (“temple”).

Related words

Broader terms

See also

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.