desecrate

tr.v., -crat·ed, -crat·ing, -crates.
To violate the sacredness of; profane.

[DE- + (CON)SECRATE.]

desecrater des'e·crat'er or des'e·cra'tor n.
desecration des'e·cra'tion n.

The word desecrate — to violate something sacred — was in the news as a result of an unsubstantiated Newsweek report in May 2005 that interrogators at the US naval prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, tried to make terror suspects talk by desecrating the holy book of Islam, the Koran. The report sparked deadly violence in Afghanistan.

Link: Newsweek Retracts Story on Quran Abuse

Posted May 17, 2005.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

verb

To spoil or mar the sanctity of: defile, pollute, profane, violate. See clean/dirty, religion, sacred/profane.

v

Definition: abuse, violate
Antonyms: honor, praise, sanctify

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IN BRIEF: To treat disrespectfully or irreverently.

There is no happiness in life and there is no misery like that growing out of the dispositions which consecrate or desecrate a home. — Edwin Hubble Chapin.

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - vanhellige, ophæve hellighed af

Nederlands (Dutch)
ontheiligen

Français (French)
v. tr. - défigurer, profaner, souiller

Deutsch (German)
v. - entweihen, schänden

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - βεβηλώνω, (ιερο)συλώ

Italiano (Italian)
profanare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - profanar

Русский (Russian)
осквернять

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - profanar, tratar con sacrilegio

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - vanhelga

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
供俗用, 污辱, 亵渎

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 供俗用, 污辱, 褻瀆

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - ~의 신성을 오염시키다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 神聖を汚す, 俗用に供する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يدنس, ينتهك قدسيه شئ‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮חילל‬

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