The word fanatic derives from Latin fanaticus, meaning ‘of a temple’ or ‘inspired by a god’, from fanum ‘temple’. It was first used in the 16th century, as an adjective describing behaviour or speech that might result from possession by a god or demon; hence the earliest sense of the noun ‘a religious maniac’. Another English word deriving ultimately from fanum is profane, which comes from Latin profanus, meaning ‘outside the temple’.