Ancient Greek

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Etymology

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From εἶδος (eîdos, form).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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εἴδωλον (eídōlonn (genitive εἰδώλου); second declension

  1. phantom, ghost
    • circa 800 BC, Homer, The Odyssey, IV, 796
      ἔνθ᾽ αὖτ᾽ ἄλλ᾽ ἐνόησε θεά, γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη:
      εἴδωλον ποίησε, δέμας δ᾽ ἤικτο γυναικί,
      Ἰφθίμῃ, κούρῃ μεγαλήτορος Ἰκαρίοιο,
      τὴν Εὔμηλος ὄπυιε Φερῇς ἔνι οἰκία ναίων.
      πέμπε δέ μιν πρὸς δώματ᾽ Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο,
      ἧος Πηνελόπειαν ὀδυρομένην γοόωσαν
      παύσειε κλαυθμοῖο γόοιό τε δακρυόεντος.
      Then the goddess, bright-eyed Athene, had an idea. She created a phantom, in the likeness of Penelope’s sister, Iphthime, that other daughter of great-hearted Icarius. Eumelus had married her, and she was living at Pherae. Athene sent the phantom to noble Odysseus’ palace, to the weeping, grieving Penelope, to tell her to stop her crying, her tear-filled lament.
  2. shape, figure, image
  3. image of the mind: idea, fancy
  4. representation, statue, idol

Inflection

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Descendants

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Further reading

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