iconolatry
/ˌaɪ.kəˈnɒ.lə.triː/
iconolatry · noun — the use of images as symbols that provide an inspiration and aid to worship. It carries an Arena rating of 1612, earned across 48 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, iconolatry ranks #3,413 of 17,160 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #4,406 of 17,187 for Most Malleable Words, #5,300 of 17,176 for Most Incisive Words, #5,842 of 17,146 for Most Storied Words.
iconolatry is pronounced /ˌaɪ.kəˈnɒ.lə.triː/.
Why “iconolatry” is a great word
ICONOLATRY — [Noun] The veneration of icons, whether sacred images understood as windows to the divine or, by extension, the worshipful admiration directed toward secular figures. From New Latin īconolatrīa, from īcono- (from Greek eikōn, "image, likeness") + -latrīa (from Greek -latria, "worship"). First recorded in English 1615–25. Unlike iconoclasm, which smashes the image to preserve the idea, or idolatry, which mistakes the effigy for the god, iconolatry is the reverent gaze through the window, believing the pane is clear. It is the worn-smooth foot of a bronze saint kissed by pilgrims, the hushed silence before a stadium poster of a musician, and the careful arrangement of a loved one's photograph on a bare desk—a testament to the human need to honor the representation in order to touch the essence of the thing itself.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From icono- + -latry.
noun
- The use of images as symbols that provide an inspiration and aid to worship.
- The veneration of celebrities.e.g.“In the 1950s (his ascent was in 1953), 1960s, 1970s, and possibly beyond, he would surely have commanded supreme admiration, respect, and even iconolatry, especially in his native land.” — 2006, Ellis Cashmore, Celebrity Culture, page 243:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.