Search this site:

Definition of profane


Reference


Word of the Day
adulation
Definition: (noun) extreme admiration.
Petersons.com
Add Word of the Day to your personalized My Yahoo! page:
Add to My Yahoo! View RSS Feed
About My Yahoo! and RSS »

  

pro·fane  audio  (pr-fn, pr-) KEY  

ADJECTIVE:
  1. Marked by contempt or irreverence for what is sacred.
  2. Nonreligious in subject matter, form, or use; secular: sacred and profane music.
  3. Not admitted into a body of secret knowledge or ritual; uninitiated.
  4. Vulgar; coarse.
TRANSITIVE VERB:
pro·faned , pro·fan·ing , pro·fanes
  1. To treat with irreverence: profane the name of God.
  2. To put to an improper, unworthy, or degrading use; abuse.

ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English prophane, from Old French, from Latin profnus, from pr fn, in front of the temple : pr-, before, outside ; see pro- 1 + fn, ablative of fnum, temple; see dhs- in Indo-European roots

OTHER FORMS:
pro·fana·tory   (pr-fn-tôr, -tr, pr-) KEY  (Adjective), pro·fanely (Adverb), pro·faner (Noun)


Visit our partner's site
Provided by Houghton Mifflin
logoeReference -- Download this interactive reference software to your desktop computer


Search Dictionary:

 More on Yahoo! Education
 • Online and On-Campus Degree Programs
    MBAs  -  Technology Management  -  Education  -  Health  -  More

 • College & Grad School - A Comprehensive Guide
    College Search  -  Test Prep  -  Application Tips  -  Scholarship Search
 

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Other Important Information
-