Etymograph

English

blasphemy

Blasphemy comes from Ancient Greek βλασφημία ‘profanity’, from βλασφημέω ‘to slander’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥-s-bʰeh₂-mo-s.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ml̥-s-bʰeh₂-mo-s1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*mləspʰāmos1reconstructed
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβλάσφημος2‘slanderous, libellous’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβλασφημέω3blasphēméō‘to slander’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβλασφημία3blasphēmía‘profanity’
  6. Ecclesiastical Latinc. 200–1500blasphēmia3
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400blasfemie3
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500blasfemie3
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1920blasphemy3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βλάσφημος, which cites Beekes
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βλασφημέω
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English blasphemy
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1920, John Rougier Cohu, The Bible and Modern Thought: “Had God cancelled His everlasting Covenant with Israel? The…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ml̥-s-bʰeh₂-mo-sWiktionary, Ancient Greek βλάσφημος, which cites Beekesreconstructed
  2. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*mləspʰāmosWiktionary, Ancient Greek βλάσφημος, which cites Beekesreconstructed
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβλάσφημοςWiktionary, Ancient Greek βλασφημέω‘slanderous, libellous’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβλασφημέωWiktionary, English blasphemyblasphēméō‘to slander’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβλασφημίαWiktionary, English blasphemyblasphēmía‘profanity’
  6. Ecclesiastical Latinc. 200–1500blasphēmiaWiktionary, English blasphemy
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400blasfemieWiktionary, English blasphemy
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500blasfemieWiktionary, English blasphemy
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1920blasphemyWiktionary, English blasphemy. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1920, John Rougier Cohu, The Bible and Modern Thought: “Had God cancelled His everlasting Covenant with Israel? The…”

Linked words

through Ancient Greek βλασφημέω ‘to slander’

blame, 2 more

Today it means

noun An act of irreverence or contempt toward a god or toward something considered sacred; an impious act, utterance, view, etc.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “blasphemy”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek βλάσφημος, Ancient Greek βλασφημέω. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ml̥-s-bʰeh₂-mo-s / blasphemy

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