DESECRATE, verb transitive [Latin To consecrate, from sacred.] 1. To divert from a sacred purpose or appropriation; opposed to consecrate; as, to desecrate a donation to a church. 2. To divest of a sacred character or office. The clergy-cannot suffer corporal punishment, without being previously desecrated.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI