idolatry
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editInherited from Middle English ydolatrie, from Old French idolatrie, from Ecclesiastical Latin īdōlatrīa, from Late Latin īdōlolatrīa, from Ancient Greek εἰδωλολατρίᾱ (eidōlolatríā, “worship of idols”), back-formation from εἰδωλολάτρης (eidōlolátrēs), from εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “idol”) & λάτρις (látris, “worshipper”) or λατρεύω (latreúō, “I worship”), from λάτρον (látron, “payment”). Equivalent to idol + -latry. Cognate with Modern French idolâtrie, Italian idolatria, Occitan ydolatria, Portuguese idolatria, and Spanish idolatría. Displaced native Old English dēofolġield (literally “devil worship”).
Pronunciation
editNoun
editidolatry (countable and uncountable, plural idolatries)
- (religion) The worship of idols.
- Synonym: avodah zarah
- 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
- The parish stank of idolatry, abominable rites were practiced in secret, and in all the bounds there was no one had a more evil name for the black traffic than one Alison Sempill, who bode at the Skerburnfoot.
- 1941, George Ryley Scott, Phallic Worship: A History of Sex and Sex Rites in Relation to the Religions of All Races from Antiquity to the Present Day, London: T. Werner Laurie, page 20:
- Now the great obstacle in tracing the identity of any of the basic forms of worship lies in the vast number of names which appear in the ancient idolatries and mythologies, creating the illusion of a miscellany of gods, whereas many of these different names refer to the same deity. Thus the sun has been personified and worshipped under as many different names as there are nations on the surface of the earth.
- (figurative) The excessive admiration of somebody or something.
Derived terms
editRelated terms
editTranslations
editworship of idols
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excessive admiration
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Further reading
edit
Anagrams
editScots
editEtymology
editInherited from Middle English ydolatrie, from Old French idolatrie, from Ecclesiastical Latin īdōlatrīa, from Late Latin īdōlolatrīa, from Ancient Greek εἰδωλολατρίᾱ (eidōlolatríā, “worship of idols”), back-formation from εἰδωλολάτρης (eidōlolátrēs), from εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “idol”) & λάτρις (látris, “worshipper”) or λατρεύω (latreúō, “I worship”), from λάτρον (látron, “payment”). Equivalent to idol + -latry. Cognate with Modern French idolâtrie, Italian idolatria, Occitan ydolatria, Portuguese idolatria, and Spanish idolatría. Displaced native Old English dēofolġield (literally “devil worship”).
Noun
editidolatry (uncountable)
- (religion) idolatry (the worship of idols)
- 1904, “Galatians, V”, in William Wye Smith, transl., The New Testament in Braid Scots[1], Paisley: Alexander Gardner, page 241:
- But plain to be seen are the warks o’ the flesh ; whilk are adultery, lechery, wantonness, […] Idolatry, divination, hatred, fa’in-oot, jealousy, wrath, factions, pairties, […]
- The works of the flesh are clear: illicit sex, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, sectarianism.
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Ecclesiastical Latin
- English terms derived from Late Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English terms suffixed with -latry
- English 4-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Religion
- English terms with quotations
- English haplological words
- English syncopic forms
- Scots terms inherited from Middle English
- Scots terms derived from Middle English
- Scots terms derived from Old French
- Scots terms derived from Ecclesiastical Latin
- Scots terms derived from Late Latin
- Scots terms derived from Ancient Greek
- Scots terms suffixed with -latry
- Scots lemmas
- Scots nouns
- Scots uncountable nouns
- sco:Religion
- Scots terms with quotations