Idolatry Meaning
/aɪˈdɒl.ə.tɹi/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe worship of idols.
nounThe excessive admiration of somebody or something.
Sentence Examples
"Anger," he said, "is idolatry."
Idolatry is a sin in Abrahamic religions.
Abrahamic religions differ in terms of what they consider idolatry.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The prophet condemned the practice of ____, urging people to worship only one god.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ancient tribe practiced ____, worshiping physical objects that they believed had spirits.
Word Origin & History
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”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
"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."
— 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:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The prophet condemned the practice of ____, urging people to worship only one god.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ancient tribe practiced ____, worshiping physical objects that they believed had spirits.