Where does “idolatry” come from?
Idolatry comes from Old French idolatrie, from Latin idolatria, from Latin idololatria, from Ancient Greek εἰδωλολατρία, composed of εἴδωλον "image" and -λατρεία "worship."
idolatry (English): The worship of idols; The excessive admiration of...
Definitions
- The worship of idols; The excessive admiration of...
Ancestry of “idolatry”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | ydolatrie | — |
| 2 | Old French | idolatrie | idolatry |
| 3 | Latin | īdōlatrīa | — |
| 4 | Latin | īdōlolatrīa | idolatry |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | εἰδωλολατρείᾱ | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | εἴδωλον | phantom, ghost; shape, figure, image; image of... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | εἶδος | That which is seen: form, image, shape;... |
| 8 | Spanish | -scopio | -scope |
| 9 | Latin | -scopium | — |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | σκοπέω | I look, look at, behold; I examine, inspect; 413... |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | σκοπός | watcher, lookout; protector, guardian; spy, scout |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | σκέπτομαι | I look at, examine; I examine, consider, think |
| 13 | Proto-Hellenic | sképťomai | to look at |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | spéḱyeti | to be looking at, to keep looking at |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | speḱ- | to see, to look, to observe |