Objects of worship or extreme admiration; can refer to religious statues, celebrities, or anything excessively revered.
From Old French 'idole', from Latin 'idolum', from Greek 'eidolon' meaning 'image' or 'phantom'. Originally referred specifically to religious images, but broadened to include any object of excessive devotion.
The word 'idol' reveals ancient anxiety about images and reality - the Greek 'eidolon' also meant 'phantom' or 'ghost', suggesting that even ancient peoples worried about confusing representations with the real thing. Today's 'pop idols' and 'teen idols' continue this theme of mistaking image for substance.
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