To praise or honor something excessively or to make something seem more impressive than it actually is.
From Latin 'glorificare,' combining 'gloria' (glory) and 'facere' (to make). Entered English through Old French around the 14th century, initially used in religious contexts to describe praising God, later expanding to secular usage meaning to exalt or idealize.
The word has a fascinating dual nature - it can mean genuine honor (as in religious worship) or artificial enhancement (as in glorifying violence in media). This duality reflects humanity's complex relationship with praise and idealization throughout history.
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