SACRILEGIUM

sacrilegium (sak-r[schwa]-lee-jee-[schwa]m), n. [Latin fr. sacer “sacred” + legere “to steal”] Roman law. 1. The theft of a sacred thing. • This was usu. a capital offense. See CAPITALIS. 2. Violation of an imperial law. “In the later Empire the conception of sacrilegium was somewhat distorted and those ‘who through ignorance or negligence confound, violate […]