dishallow

Etymology

From dis- + hallow.

Why this word is great

DISHALLOW — [Verb] To render unholy; to profane; to desecrate. From dis- ("reverse, negate") + hallow ("to make holy, sanctify"). Unlike "desecrate" (which suggests a deliberate, violent defiling) or "profane" (which carries the stain of irreverence), "dishallow" is the quiet erosion of sanctity—not a blade to the altar, but the slow seep of neglect. It is the abandoned chapel where pigeons nest in the rafters, the wedding ring left in a drawer for decades, the once-sacred grove now littered with beer cans and cigarette butts. Holiness, it turns out, is a flame that gutters when no one tends it.

verb

  1. To render unholy; to profane; to desecrate.“Nor can the unholiness of the priest dishallow the altar.”