idolater

/ˌaɪˈdɑlətəɹ/

Etymology

From Middle English ydolatrer, from Middle French idolatre, from Latin idololatra. Displaced native Old English dēofolġielda (literally “devil worshiper”).

idolater means One who worships idols; (historical) a pagan. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 83 out of 100.

Why this word is great

IDOLATER — [Noun] One who worships physical idols or images as deities. From Middle English ydolatrer, from Middle French idolatre, from Latin idololatra, from Greek eidōlolatreia, from eidōlon (“idol, image”) + latreia (“worship”). Unlike an iconodule, who venerates images as sanctioned conduits to the divine, or a polytheist, who may worship gods without tangible form, the idolater is defined by a primal, tactile devotion, mistaking the crafted medium for the divine message. It is the pilgrim kissing the feet of a weathered statue until the toes wear smooth, the glint of votive lamplight in painted clay eyes, the palpable warmth of hands clasped around a cold effigy—a testament to the human confusion between having an object to venerate and having a truth to hold.

noun

One who worships idols; (historical) a pagan.“[T]he state of idolaters is two ways miserable: first, in that which they worship they find no succour; and secondly, at his hands, whom they ought to serve, there is no other thing to be looked for but the effects of most just displeasure, the withdrawing of grace, dereliction in this world, and in the world to come confusion.”