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Glite Dictionary
deconsecration

deconsecration

9.4
To remove a building's religious status so it can be used for other things
  • noun
  • /ˌdiːˌkɒnsɪˈkreɪʃən/
  • Formal
translation icon : desconsagración
  • The town held a ceremony for the deconsecration of the old church after it was no longer used for services.

Examples

  • She said that when a church stops being a church, they have a ceremony of deconsecration.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Because of him, I didn't go through with deconsecration.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • After years of abandonment, the deconsecration of the temple allowed for its restoration as a community center.

  • The deconsecration of the site marked a significant change in the community's relationship with their historical faith.

Synonyms

unsanctification
vsdeconsecration
  • Formal
9.9

The act of making something not holy

is a formal act removing sacred status from a place or object
despiritualization
vsdeconsecration
  • US
9.9

A loss of spiritual meaning or feeling in daily life

is a specific formal act to remove sacred status from objects or places
laicization
vsdeconsecration
  • Formal
9.9

The act of making institutions free from religious control

applies to individual places or objects via a formal removal of sacred status

Antonyms

consecration
  • Formal
5 8.7

To make a place or object sacred in a special religious ceremony

Surface Forms

deconsecration singular
deconsecrations plural

Morphology

deconsecration = deconsecrate (transparent) = de + consecrate + ion

This is a standard action noun formed from the verb 'deconsecrate' with '-ion'.

Etymology

Deconsecration comes from the parts de- meaning 'remove' and consecrate meaning 'make sacred', which is the same root as the English word sacred; so a helpful way to remember it is as taking the 'sacred' label off. That's why deconsecration is the official act of removing a place's or object's sacred status.