idolatry
UK /aɪˈdɒl.ə.tɹi/ · US /aɪˈdɑ.lə.tɹi/ noun
Forms idolatries idololatry
- noun (religion) The worship of idols.
- noun (figurative) The excessive admiration of somebody or something.
Synonyms
avodah zarah adoration reverence worship devotion veneration cultism idol worship
Etymology
Inherited 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, “to 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”).
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “idolatry”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details