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sacrilege

noun

  1. a technical and not necessarily intrinsically outrageous violation (such as improper reception of a sacrament) of what is sacred because consecrated to God
  2. gross irreverence toward a hallowed person, place, or thing
L327028 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈsækɹɪlɪd͡ʒ/ / /ˈsækɹəlɪd͡ʒ/

noun

Etymology: Circa 1300, original sense “stealing something sacred”. From Middle English sacrilege, from Old French sacrilege, from Latin sacrilegium, from sacrilegus (“sacrilegious”). Sense of “profanation” from late 14th century.

  1. Desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something regarded as sacred.

    I recall the height of comfort attained by the green-cushioned "first" with starched white antimacassars and a pretentious grey floor mat on which it seemed a sacrilege to stand, as it was embellished with the North Western conception of Britannia, complete with trident.