gerontolatry · noun — worship of old people. It carries an Arena rating of 1327, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, gerontolatry ranks #3,108 of 17,201 for Funniest Words, #3,214 of 17,130 for Most Ponderous Words, #4,005 of 17,171 for Scariest Words, #4,083 of 17,176 for Most Incisive Words.
Why “gerontolatry” is a great word
GERONTOLATRY — [Noun] The worship of or excessive veneration for old people. From the combining form geronto- (from Ancient Greek γέρων, gerōn, "old man") and -latry (from Late Latin -latria and Ancient Greek -λατρεία, -latreia, "worship"). Unlike gerontocracy (which denotes rule by the elderly) or gerontophilia (which specifies a sexual attraction), gerontolatry is a societal piety, a deference turned devotional. It manifests as the hushed circle hanging on every anecdote from a patriarch's lips, the museum-like preservation of obsolete customs, and the collective suspension of critical thought before the altar of age—a gentle tyranny of the past that mistakes weathering for wisdom.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From geronto- + -latry.
noun
- Worship of old people.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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