The term profane originated in English during the mid-fifteenth century as prophane, denoting things that were deemed unholy, unclean, or pagan. It is derived from the Latin verb profanare, meaning “desecrate”. Quite literally, it signified being “out in front of the temple” as individuals labeled as profane were not permitted entry into Roman temples. The components of the word include the prefix pro-, denoting “before” (from Proto-Indo-European per, also “before”), and the noun fanum, meaning “temple” (also giving rise to the term fanatic; stemming from the Proto-Indo-European reconstruction dehs, which could mean either “god” or “sacred place”. On the other hand, the term profanity emerged around the early seventeenth century from profane and only gained widespread usage in the nineteenth century.
