profane

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /pɹəˈfeɪn/
• Rhymes: -eɪn

Adjective

profane (comparative profaner or more profane, superlative profanest or most profane)

1. Unclean; ritually impure; unholy, desecrating a holy place or thing.
2. Not sacred or holy, unconsecrated; relating to non-religious matters, secular.
3. Treating sacred things with contempt, disrespect, irreverence, or undue familiarity; blasphemous, impious. Hence, specifically; Irreverent in language; taking the name of God in vain; given to swearing; blasphemous; as, a profane person, word, oath, or tongue.

Synonyms

• secular
• temporal
• worldly
• unsanctified
• unhallowed
• unholy
• irreligious
• irreverent
• ungodly
• wicked
• godless
• impious
• vulgar

Translations

Unclean; impure; polluted; unholy

• French: impur (fr) m, profane (fr) m and f, sale (fr) m and f

Not sacred or holy

• Finnish: maallinen (fi), profaani (fi)
• French: profane (fr) m and f

• Macedonian: световен (mk) (svétoven) m, профан (mk) (prófan) m
• Portuguese: profano (pt)

Treating sacred matters with contempt, disrespect, irreverence, or undue familiarity

• Finnish: rienaava (fi)
• French: sacrilège (fr) m and f

• Russian: богохульный (ru) (bogoxulʹnyj)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• German: profan (de)

• Ido: profana (io)

Noun

profane (plural profanes)

1. A person or thing that is profane.
   • 1796, Matthew Lewis, The Monk, Folio Society 1985, p. 244:

     The nuns were employed in religious duties established in honour of St Clare, and to which no profane was ever admitted.

2. (freemasonry) A person not a Mason.

Verb

profane (third-person singular simple present profanes, present participle profaning, simple past and past participle profaned)

1. (transitive) To violate, as anything sacred; to treat with abuse, irreverence, obloquy, or contempt; to desecrate; to pollute; as, to profane the name of God; to profane the Scriptures, or the ordinance of God.
   • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, chapter 34

     With one mind, their intent eyes all fastened upon the old man’s knife, as he carved the chief dish before him. I do not suppose that for the world they would have profaned that moment with the slightest observation, even upon so neutral a topic as the weather.

2. (transitive) To put to a wrong or unworthy use; to make a base employment of; to debase; to abuse; to defile.

Translations

To violate, as anything sacred; to treat with abuse, irreverence, obloquy, or contempt

• Finnish: häpäistä (fi)
• French: profaner (fr)

• Spanish: profanar (es)

To put to a wrong or unworthy use

• Finnish: häpäistä (fi)

Related terms

• profanation
• profanity

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA: /pʁɔ.fan/, X-SAMPA: /pRO.fan/

Adjective

profane (masculine and feminine, plural profanes)

1. secular; lay
2. profane

Related terms

• profanateur
• profanation
• profaner

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Italian

Adjective

profane f pl

1. feminine plural form of profano

Noun

profane f

1. Plural form of profana

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Latin

Adjective

profāne

1. vocative masculine singular of profānus

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Spanish

Verb

profane (infinitive profanar)

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of profanar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of profanar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of profanar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of profanar.