3. Treating sacred things with contempt, disrespect, irreverence, or undue familiarity; irreverent; 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. 1 Tim. i. 9.
Syn. — Secular; temporal; worldly; unsanctified; unhallowed; unholy; irreligious; irreverent; ungodly; wicked; godless; impious.
See Impious.
Profane
(Pro*fane"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Profaned ; p. pr. & vb. n. Profaning.] [L. profanare: cf. F.
profaner. See Profane, a.]
1. 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.
The priests in the temple profane the sabbath.
Matt. xii. 5. 2. To put to a wrong or unworthy use; to make a base employment of; to debase; to abuse; to defile.
So idly to profane the precious time.
Shak. Profanely
(Pro*fane"ly), adv. In a profane manner.
The character of God profanely impeached.
Dr. T. Dwight. Profaneness
(Pro*fane"ness), n. The quality or state of being profane; especially, the use of profane
language.
Profaner
(Pro*fan"er) n. One who treats sacred things with irreverence, or defiles what is holy; one who
uses profane language. Hooker.
Profanity
(Pro*fan"i*ty) n. [L. profanitas.]
1. The quality or state of being profane; profaneness; irreverence; esp., the use of profane language; blasphemy.
2. That which is profane; profane language or acts.
The brisk interchange of profanity and folly.
Buckminster. Profection
(Pro*fec"tion) n. [See Proficient.] A setting out; a going forward; advance; progression. [Obs.]
Sir T. Browne.
Profectitious
(Pro`fec*ti"tious) a. [L. profectitius, fr. proficisci to set out, proceed.] Proceeding from,
as from a parent; derived, as from an ancestor. [R.]
The threefold distinction of profectitious, adventitious, and professional was ascertained.
Gibbon. Profert
(Pro"fert) n. [L., he brings forward, 3d pers. pr. of proferre. See Proffer. ] (Law) The exhibition
or production of a record or paper in open court, or an allegation that it is in court.
Profess
(Pro*fess") v. t. [imp. & p. p. Professed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Professing.] [F. profès, masc.,
professe, fem., professed L. professus, p. p. of profiteri to profess; pro before, forward + fateri to confess,
own. See Confess.]
1. To make open declaration of, as of one's knowledge, belief, action, etc.; to avow or acknowledge; to
confess publicly; to own or admit freely. "Hear me profess sincerely." Shak.
The best and wisest of them all professed
To know this only, that he nothing knew.
Milton.
