The word profane originally had a different meaning. It simply referred to anything that was not conducted inside a Jewish Temple. It was a way to delineate between things that were sacred (like worship, conducted in the temple) and secular (like shopping or basically everything else).

In ancient Jewish tradition, you were not supposed to speak the name of God unless you were in the Temple. (Here’s how we get to not taking the Lord’s name in vain)

So, literally, to avoid taking the Lord’s name in vain you weren’t supposed to speak the name of God outside the Temple. To do so would be profane.

Through many different interpretations and translations, this original meaning has become quite confused.

King Henry VIII put his own spin on things, and the mere act of translating from Hebrew to English caused problems.

But the Puritans win the award. They were the ones who decided to morph profane into profanity, and became the language police.

So while good religious people should probably keep their language in check, you really aren’t violating that particular Commandment when you call the guy who cut you off in traffic a $#% @#$@ @%#$@#$^@#^^@#^#^$#.

Source: The History Channel