Dictionary

idolatry en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /aɪˈdɑ.lə.tɹi/ (US)
• (US) audio
• ī-dŏ'lə-trē (US)
• /aɪˈdɒl.ə.tɹi/ (UK)

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”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The worship of idols.
   • 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:
2. (countable, figuratively, uncountable) The excessive admiration of somebody or something.

Forms

Deriveds

Japanolatry

Relateds

idolatrisation · idolatrousness · idolater · idolatrously · idolatrizer · idolatrous · idolatrization · -latry · idolatrize · idolatrise · idol

Synonyms

worship · avodah zarah · reverence · adoration

Translations (127)

ug بۇتپەرەسلىك (worship of idols) · de Götzenverehrung (worship of idols) · sl idolatrija (worship of idols) · sh idolopoklónstvo (worship of idols) · da afgudsdyrkelse (worship of idols) · pl idololatria (worship of idols) · hy կռապաշտություն (worship of idols) · cs modloslužebnictví (worship of idols) · de Götzenglaube (worship of idols) · es idolatría (worship of idols) · nb avgudsdyrkelse (worship of idols) · ro идолатрия (worship of idols) · et ebajumalakummardamine (worship of idols) · el ειδωλολατρία (worship of idols) · bn মূর্তিপূজা (worship of idols) · gv jalloonys (worship of idols) · be балвахва́льства (worship of idols) · ky бутпарастык (worship of idols) · ar وَثَنِيَّة (worship of idols) · cy eilun-addoliaeth (worship of idols) · cy eilun-addoliad (worship of idols) · nl beeldendienst (worship of idols) · el ειδωλολατρία (excessive admiration) · lad idolatria (worship of idols) · cs modlářství (worship of idols) · sa प्रतिमापूजा (worship of idols) · sv avguderi (worship of idols) · ca idolatria (worship of idols) · it idolatria (worship of idols) · de Ikonodulie (worship of idols) · enm mawmetrie (excessive admiration) · ga íoladhradh (worship of idols) · sk idolatria (worship of idols) · pl bałwochwalstwo (excessive admiration) · uz butparastlik (worship of idols) · enm mawmetrie (worship of idols) · te విగ్రహారాధన (worship of idols) · be ідалапакло́нства (worship of idols) · fi kuvainpalvonta (worship of idols) · vi thờ ngẫu tượng (worship of idols) · sq idhujtari (worship of idols) · hi मूर्तिपूजा (worship of idols) · sv idoldyrkan (worship of idols) · fi epäjumalanpalvonta (worship of idols) · he סגידה (excessive admiration) · pt veneração (excessive admiration) · ka კერპთაყვანისმცემლობა (worship of idols) · ru боготворе́ние (excessive admiration) · bg идолопокло́нство (worship of idols) · lt stabmeldystė (worship of idols) · ka კერპთმსახურება (worship of idols) · hu bálványozás (excessive admiration) · ja 偶像崇拝 (worship of idols) · bg обожа́ние (excessive admiration) · fr idolâtrie (worship of idols) · de Vergötterung (worship of idols) · ru обожествле́ние (excessive admiration) · ro idolatrie (worship of idols) · de Abgötterei (worship of idols) · lv elku pielūgšana (worship of idols) · de Bilderverehrung (worship of idols) · bg идолопокло́нничество (worship of idols) · hu bálványimádás (worship of idols) · sh идолопокло́нство (worship of idols) · ang dēofolġield (worship of idols) · kmr pûtparêzî (worship of idols) · ko 우상숭배 (worship of idols) · he עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה (worship of idols) · mk идолопоклонство (worship of idols) · he עֲבוֹדַת אֱלִילִים (worship of idols) · de Bilderdienst (worship of idols) · oc idolatria (worship of idols) · mk боготворење (excessive admiration) · ru идолопокло́нничество (worship of idols) · oc idolatria (excessive admiration) · de Bilderanbetung (worship of idols) · nl verafgoding (excessive admiration) · enm ydolatrie (worship of idols) · ru поклоне́ние (excessive admiration) · pl idolatria (worship of idols) · ru обожа́ние (excessive admiration) · uk ідолопокло́нство (worship of idols) · ps بت پرستي (worship of idols) · cmn 偶像崇拜 (worship of idols) · sv idolatri (worship of idols) · tg бутпарастӣ (worship of idols) · kk пұтқа табынушылық (worship of idols) · sv avgudadyrkan (worship of idols) · lad avoda zara (worship of idols) · nl afgodendienst (worship of idols) · de Idolatrie (worship of idols) · mk обожување (excessive admiration) · grc εἰδωλολατρία (worship of idols) · fi idolatria (worship of idols) · nl idolatrie (worship of idols) · pl ubóstwianie (excessive admiration) · fa بتپرستی (worship of idols) · nl idolatrie (excessive admiration) · kmr pûtperestî (worship of idols) · de Bewunderung (excessive admiration) · pl bałwochwalstwo (worship of idols) · nl afgoderij (worship of idols) · de Götzendienerei (worship of idols) · fr culte des idoles (worship of idols) · la īdōlolatrīa (worship of idols) · tk butparazlyk (worship of idols) · pt idolatria (worship of idols) · fi ihannointi (excessive admiration) · sv bilddyrkan (worship of idols) · az bütpərəstlik (worship of idols) · sk modlárstvo (worship of idols) · is skurðgoðadýrkun (worship of idols) · es idolatría (excessive admiration) · he הערצה (excessive admiration) · cs idolatrie (worship of idols) · de Götzendienst (worship of idols) · uk ідолові́рство (worship of idols) · sk modloslužba (worship of idols) · kl guutipilussiorneq (worship of idols) · ru идолопокло́нство (worship of idols) · sk modloslužobníctvo (worship of idols) · pt idolatria (excessive admiration) · th การบูชาเทวรูป (worship of idols) · ur بُت پَرَسْتی (worship of idols) · de Vergötterung (excessive admiration) · ga íolacht (worship of idols) · tr putperestlik (worship of idols)