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idol

/ˈaɪ.dl̩/ noun

In Latin: īdōlum Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about idol at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. A material effigy that is worshipped.
    thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
  2. Someone who is adored blindly and excessively.
  3. An ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept.

Origin

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, and idolum and related to idea.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)