[UN-2 3.]
1. trans. To reverse the christening of; to deprive of the name given at christening.
1598. Florio, Sbattezzare, to vnchristen, to forget ones proper name.
1831. Q. Rev., XLV. 416. The church of St. Geneviève was once more unchristened, and ana-paganized by its absurd name of the Pantheon.
1868. H. Bushnell, Serm. Living Subj., 167. These desolating doubts … are present as powers of the air to unchristen the new born thoughts of religion as fast as they arrive.
1893. in J. H. Barrows, World’s Parlt. Relig., II. 1152. Before you can strip the discovery [of America] of its religious character, you must unchristen the admiral’s flagship.
† 2. = UNCHRISTIANIZE v. Obs.
1643–5. Milton, Divorce, II. xxii. To constrain him furder were to unchristen him, to unman him.
1653. Baxter, Chr. Concord, 50. They would unchristen all the Reformed Christians in all these Nations. Ibid. (1670), Cure Ch. Div., 296. Therefore on one side let us take heed how we unchurch and unchristen any with whom we do not corporally join.
1718. Cibber, Non-juror, Prol. There safe, he lets his thundring Censures fly, Unchristens, damns us, gives our Laws the Lie.
Hence Unchristening ppl. a.
1659. Baxter, Key Cath., II. vii. 429. It would be a damning unchristening sin to deny the Headship of the Pope or General Council, if they were indeed the Head of the Church.
