verb (used with object), des·e·crat·ed, des·e·crat·ing.
- to divest of sacred or hallowed character or office.
- to divert from a sacred to a profane use or purpose.
- to treat with sacrilege; profane.
verb (tr)
- to violate or outrage the sacred character of (an object or place) by destructive, blasphemous, or sacrilegious action
- to remove the consecration from (a person, object, building, etc); deconsecrate
1670s, formed from de- “do the opposite of” (see de-) + stem of consecrate. Old French had dessacrer “to profane,” and there is a similar formation in Italian; but Latin desecrare meant “to make holy,” with de- in this case having a completive sense. Related: Desecrated; desecrating.