Impiety
/ɪmˈpaɪ.ə.ti/noun
Lack of reverence or respect, especially toward a deity or sacred things.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin impietās, built from pietās, a powerful Roman idea of duty, devotion, and proper reverence — so impiety was not just disbelief, but a moral violation of the sacred order.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pei-
“to care for, show loyalty or devotion”
Latin
Latin
pietās
“dutifulness, devotion, reverence, sense of obligation”
Latin
Latin
impietās
“lack of reverence, irreverence, impiety”
Old French
Old French
impiete
“impiety, irreverence”
Middle English
English
impiete
“impiety, lack of reverence toward God or sacred things”
Modern English
English
impiety
“lack of reverence or respect, especially toward a deity or sacred things”