Revised 2023
blasphemousadjective
Factsheet
What does the adjective blasphemous mean?
There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective blasphemous, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the adjective blasphemous?
About 0.7occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 2.1 |
| 1760 | 2.0 |
| 1770 | 2.0 |
| 1780 | 1.9 |
| 1790 | 2.0 |
| 1800 | 2.2 |
| 1810 | 2.4 |
| 1820 | 2.5 |
| 1830 | 2.5 |
| 1840 | 2.4 |
| 1850 | 2.3 |
| 1860 | 2.1 |
| 1870 | 1.8 |
| 1880 | 1.6 |
| 1890 | 1.4 |
| 1900 | 1.2 |
| 1910 | 1.1 |
| 1920 | 1.0 |
| 1930 | 0.95 |
| 1940 | 0.92 |
| 1950 | 0.86 |
| 1960 | 0.78 |
| 1970 | 0.73 |
| 1980 | 0.7 |
| 1990 | 0.67 |
| 2000 | 0.66 |
| 2010 | 0.69 |
How is the adjective blasphemous pronounced?
British English
/ˈblasfəməs/
BLASS-fuh-muhss
/ˈblɑːsfəməs/
BLAHSS-fuh-muhss
U.S. English
/ˈblæsfəməs/
BLASS-fuh-muhss
Where does the adjective blasphemous come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the adjective blasphemous is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for blasphemous is from before 1425, in Lanterne of Liȝt.
blasphemous is of multiple origins. Either (i) a borrowing from Latin, combined with an English element. Or (ii) perhaps a borrowing from French.
Etymons: Latin blasphemus, ‑ous suffix; French blasphemeus.
Nearby entries
- blasphematour, n.1483–1585
- blaspheme, n.¹ & adj.a1382–1475
- blaspheme, n.²a1400–1583
- blaspheme, v.1340–
- blasphemely, adv.1395–1400
- blasphement, n.
- blasphemer, n.1395–
- blasphemeress, n.a1500–
- blaspheming, n.c1405–
- blaspheming, adj.1569–
- blasphemous, adj.?a1425–
- blasphemous libel, n.1819–
- blasphemously, adv.?1527–
- blasphemousness, n.1657–
- blasphemy, n.c1230–
- blasphemy, adj.?c1430
- blast, n.¹Old English–
- blast, n.²1947–
- blast, v.c1300–
- -blast, comb. form
- blast-bob, n.1582
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for blasphemous, adj.
blasphemous, adj. was revised in March 2023.
blasphemous, adj. was last modified in July 2023.
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into blasphemous, adj. in July 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1887)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Citation details
Factsheet for blasphemous, adj.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- blasphematour, n.1483–1585
- blaspheme, n.¹ & adj.a1382–1475
- blaspheme, n.²a1400–1583
- blaspheme, v.1340–
- blasphemely, adv.1395–1400
- blasphement, n.
- blasphemer, n.1395–
- blasphemeress, n.a1500–
- blaspheming, n.c1405–
- blaspheming, adj.1569–
- blasphemous, adj.?a1425–
- blasphemous libel, n.1819–
- blasphemously, adv.?1527–
- blasphemousness, n.1657–
- blasphemy, n.c1230–
- blasphemy, adj.?c1430
- blast, n.¹Old English–
- blast, n.²1947–
- blast, v.c1300–
- -blast, comb. form
- blast-bob, n.1582
