The Chinese have already secured much of the northern border regions. They have ransacked a village, destroyed the monasteries... burnt scriptures and defaced holy relics.
(n) the act of damaging the appearance or surface of something, Syn. disfiguration, disfigurement, Example:the defacement of an Italian mosaic during the Turkish invasion; he objected to the dam's massive disfigurement of the landscape
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English (GCIDE) v.0.53 Collaborative International Dictionary (GCIDE)