Profanely

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner that expresses disregard for holy concepts
2. In a way that shows disrespect or irreverence toward religious or sacred matters
3. Expressed with a lack of reverence or disrespect for things considered holy or sacred

Etymology: "Profanely" is a straightforward formation: the adjective "profane" with the suffix "-ly" added to turn it into an adverb meaning "in a profane manner." The adjective itself came into English from Latin "profanus," literally "outside the temple," formed from "pro" meaning "before" or "outside" and "fanum" meaning "temple" or "sacred place." So the original sense was spatial: something that stood outside the sacred precinct and was therefore not set apart for holy use. The suffix has a longer ancestry than the base word. The "-ly" ending descends from an Old English form "-līce," which itself grew from a Proto-Germanic element "*-līkō," related to the word "like" in its older sense of "body" or "form." Over centuries the suffix softened in Middle English into "-ly," the form used today. Put together, "profanely" describes an action carried out in the manner of something unhallowed, treating sacred things as ordinary.

Synonyms: blasphemously, irreverently, vulgarly, impiously, foully

Antonyms: holily, sacredly, piously, respectfully, devoutly