deconsecrated
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Divested of consecration; no longer considered sacred or holy: Describes a place, object, or building that has had its religious sanctity formally removed through a ritual or official act. It is the opposite of being consecrated.
Usage and Examples
- Adjective:
- The old church was deconsecrated before being sold and converted into apartments.
- Archaeologists studied the deconsecrated altar, which was now displayed in a museum.
- After the ceremony, the ground was deconsecrated and could be used for secular purposes.
Advanced Usage
- "To deconsecrate" (verb): The act of formally removing the sacred status from a place or object.
- The bishop will deconsecrate the chapel next month.
- Often used in legal, historical, or architectural contexts when discussing the change in status of religious properties.
Variants and Related Words
- Deconsecrate (verb): To divest of consecration; to secularize formally.
- The diocese decided to deconsecrate the cemetery.
- Consecrated (adjective): Made or declared sacred.
- The consecrated ground of the cathedral.
- Secularized (adjective): Transferred from religious to civil use or possession. (A broader, often synonymous term in this context.)
Synonyms
- Desanctified: Having had sanctity removed.
- Secularized: Transferred to non-religious control or use.
- Decommissioned (in specific contexts, like a religious building taken out of service).
Antonyms
- Consecrated: Made sacred.
- Sanctified: Set apart as or declared holy.
- Blessed: Consecrated; endowed with divine favor.
Notes
- The term is specific to religious contexts, primarily within Christianity, but applicable to other faiths.
- The process of deconsecration is a formal ritual, not merely abandonment.
Adjective
- divested of consecration