Definition of 'idol'
Word forms: plural idols
1. countable noun
2. countable noun
3.
See fallen idol
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
idol in British English
noun
1.
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C13: from Late Latin īdōlum, from Latin: image, from Greek eidōlon, from eidos shape, form
idol in American English
noun
1.
an image of a god, used as an object or instrument of worship
3.
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME idole < OFr < L idolum, an image, form, specter, apparition (in LL(Ec), idol) < Gr eidōlon, an image, phantom (in LGr(Ec), idol) < eidos, form: see -oididol in American English
(ˈaidl)
noun
1.
an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship
is addressed
2. Bible
a.
an image of a deity other than God
b.
the deity itself
3.
Madame Curie had been her childhood idol
6.
a false conception or notion; fallacy
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1200–50; ME ‹ LL īdōlum ‹ Gk eídōlon image, idol, deriv. of eîdos shape, form]Examples of 'idol' in a sentence
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idol
British English: idol
NOUN /ˈaɪdəl/
An idol is a famous person who is greatly admired or loved.
A great cheer went up from the crowd as they caught sight of their idol.
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Definition of idol from the Collins English Dictionary
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