English
profane
Profane comes from Classical Latin profānus ‘not religious, unclean’, from fānum ‘temple’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰéh₁s‘god’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁s-nó-mreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*faznom‘temple’reconstructed
- Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfānum‘temple’
- Classical Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprofānus‘not religious, unclean’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600profane
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500prophane
- Englishearliest quotation 1611profane
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰéh₁s‘god’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁s-nó-mreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*faznom‘temple’reconstructed
- Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfānum‘temple’
- Classical Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprofānus‘not religious, unclean’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600profane
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500prophane
- Englishearliest quotation 1611profane
Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “the law is not laid down for the just…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’
do, deal, hot, fact, defense, feature, mid, benefit, fashion, theme, defence, custom, ethnic, sufficient, fan, treasury, treasure, ethical, thesis, aesthetic, synthetic, doom, defendant, tick, deed, ethic, auditorium, auditor, demi, deem, spade, thematic, ethos, forfeit, medial, medallion, certify, familial, duma, prefect, 118 more
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s ‘god’
fair, feast, theology, dis, atheist, atheism, feral, theism, apotheosis, theist, fayre, 26 more
through Classical Latin fānum ‘temple’
Another origin of profane
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰéh₁s‘god’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁s-nó-mreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*faznom‘temple’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfānum‘temple’
- Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprofānus‘secular, unconsecrated, profane’
- Classical Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprofānō
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600profaner
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500prophanen
- Englishtodayprofane
Today it means
adj Unclean; ritually impure; unholy, desecrating a holy place or thing.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- / profane