idol
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English ydole, from Old French idole, from Latin idolum, from Ancient Greek εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “image, idol”), from εἶδος (eîdos, “form”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéydos (“seeing, image”), from *weyd- (“to see”). Doublet of aidoru, eidolon, idea, and idolum.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
idol (plural idols)
- A graven image or representation of anything that is revered, or believed to convey spiritual power.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Revelation 9:20–21:
- 20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues, yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship deuils, and idoles of golde, and siluer, and brasse, and stone, and of wood, which neither can see, nor heare, nor walke:
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
- Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. He was dressed out in broad gaiters and bright tweeds, like an English tourist, and his face might have belonged to Dagon, idol of the Philistines.
- 1911, J. Milton Hayes, The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God:
- There's a one-eyed yellow idol to the north of Kathmandu, There's a little marble cross below the town; There's a broken-hearted woman tends the grave of Mad Carew, And the Yellow God forever gazes down.
- A cultural icon, or especially popular person.
- (Asia, originally Japan) A popular entertainer, usually young, captivating and attractive, and often female, with an image of being close to fans.
- [2016 January 26, Mariko Oi, “The dark side of Asia’s pop music industry”, in BBC News[1]:
- They are known as "idols" and their job is "to sell dreams". For decades, the young pop stars of Japan and South Korea have been the envy of teenagers.]
- (obsolete) An eidolon or phantom; something misleading or elusive.
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
Translations edit
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Anagrams edit
Danish edit
Pronunciation edit
- Rhymes: -oːl
Noun edit
idol n (singular definite idolet, plural indefinite idoler)
Inflection edit
Middle English edit
Noun edit
idol
- Alternative form of ydole
Polish edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from French idole, from Latin īdōlum, from Ancient Greek εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “image; idol”), from εἶδος (eîdos, “form”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
idol m pers (female equivalent idolka)
- idol (cultural icon, especially popular person)
Declension edit
Noun edit
idol m inan
Declension edit
Further reading edit
Romanian edit
Etymology edit
From Ancient Greek είδωλον (eídōlon), partially through the intermediate of Old Church Slavonic идолъ (idolŭ). Compare Aromanian idul, Serbo-Croatian idol.
Noun edit
idol m (plural idoli)
Declension edit
Related terms edit
Serbo-Croatian edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
ìdōl m (Cyrillic spelling ѝдо̄л)
Declension edit
Swedish edit
Pronunciation edit
Audio (file)
Noun edit
idol c
- someone greatly admired (by someone), or the person someone admires the most; an idol
- Mark Knopfler är min idol ― Mark Knopfler is my idol
- (rare, technical) a representation of a deity; an idol
- Synonym: avgud
Declension edit
Declension of idol | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | idol | idolen | idoler | idolerna |
Genitive | idols | idolens | idolers | idolernas |
Derived terms edit
- idoldyrkan (“celebrity worship”)
References edit
Welsh edit
Etymology edit
Noun edit
idol m (plural idolau or idoliaid or idolon)
Mutation edit
Welsh mutation | |||
---|---|---|---|
radical | soft | nasal | h-prothesis |
idol | unchanged | unchanged | hidol |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |
Further reading edit
- R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “idol”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies