Unconsecrates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To remove the sacred status from something, particularly in a religious context; to treat a previously sacred site or object as ordinary or secular; to revoke the consecration of a place or item, thus rendering it non-holy or profane
2. To denounce the holiness associated with an object or venue, stripping it of spiritual significance; to transform a hallowed space into something mundane and accessible; to formally disavow the sanctity of an item or location, making it commonplace
3. To negate the sacred qualities attributed to a religious site or artifact; to alter a space, deeming it no longer sacred or divine; to formally declare the secular state of a formerly consecrated item or location, removing its religious associations

Etymology: "Unconsecrates" is the third-person singular present form of "unconsecrate," a verb built from the prefix "un-" attached to "consecrate." The "un-" here is the reversing prefix, so the verb means to undo a consecration: to strip a place, object or person of the sacred status that a formal rite once conferred on it. "Consecrate" supplies the core meaning. It comes from the Latin "consecrare," made of "con-" (together, thoroughly) and "sacrare" (to make sacred, from "sacer," holy), so it originally meant to dedicate something fully to a god. The "un-" prefix was added in English, which is why the verb is a formation in English rather than a word inherited from Latin. Its history is simple, and its meaning follows directly from its two parts.

Synonyms: desecrates, defiles, profanes, deconsecrates, pollutes

Antonyms: consecrates, sanctifies, blesses, hallows, dedicates