From Latin 'sacrilegium' (temple robbery) — literally 'stealing sacred things,' sharing a root with 'legend' and 'collect.'
Violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred.
From Latin 'sacrilegium' (temple robbery), from 'sacrilegus' (one who steals sacred things), from 'sacra' (sacred things) + 'legere' (to take, gather, steal). A sacrilege was originally a specific crime — stealing from a temple — not a metaphorical offense against taste. Key roots: sacra (Latin: "sacred things"), legere (Latin: "to take, gather, steal").
'Sacrilege' is temple theft. The '-lege' part is the same root as 'legend' (things gathered to be read), 'lecture' (a reading/gathering of knowledge), and 'collect' (to gather together). But in 'sacrilege,' the gathering is criminal — stealing sacred objects. So 'sacrilege' and 'legend' share a root: one is gathering stories