profanation
UK[ˌprɒfəˈneɪʃn]US[ˌprɑːfəˈneɪʃn]
n
The act of treating something holy or sacred with disrespect or abuse.
n
An instance of such treatment; a desecration.
Morpheme Breakdown
pro
fan
ation
pro
before
fan
e
ation
Etymology
The word 'profanation' narrates the story of something being cast out from the sacred realm. Its core is the Latin fanum (temple), the designated space for the divine. The intensive prefix pro- (forth, out) acts upon this root, creating the verb profanare, meaning "to treat as outside the temple," or "to desecrate." The suffix -ation then nominalizes this action, forming a term for the act or result of violating what is holy. Thus, the literal logic of "driving forth from the temple" evolved into the modern abstract meaning of disrespectful treatment of the sacred.
Analysis
Structure: pro + fan(e) + ation
- pro- (Latin origin): A prefix meaning "before" or "forth." Here, it functions as an intensifier meaning "forth, out, completely."
- fan(e) (Latin origin): From the root fanum, meaning "temple, sacred place." It functions as the core root conveying the sense of "the sacred."
- ation (Latin/French origin): A noun-forming suffix indicating an action or process, or the result of an action.
Examples
The vandalism of the ancient altar was an act of profound profanation.
Many considered the commercial use of the religious symbol a profanation of its meaning.
The ceremony was a solemn event, with no room for levity or profanation.