idol

See also: Idol and ídol

English

Alternative forms

• idoll (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old French idole, from Latin idolum, from Ancient Greek εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “image, idol”), from εἶδος (eîdos, “form”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéydos (“seeing, image”), from *weyd- (“to see”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: īʹd(ə)l, IPA^(key): /ˈaɪd(ə)l/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪdəl
• Homophones: idle, idyl(l) (US pronunciation)

Noun

idol (plural idols)

1. A graven image or representation of anything that is revered, or believed to convey spiritual power.
   • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 2, in The Celebrity:

     Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. He was dressed out in broad gaiters and bright tweeds, like an English tourist, and his face might have belonged to Dagon, idol of the Philistines.

   • 1911 The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God, J. Milton Hayes:

     There's a one-eyed yellow idol to the north of Kathmandu, There's a little marble cross below the town; There's a broken-hearted woman tends the grave of Mad Carew, And the Yellow God forever gazes down.

2. A cultural icon, or especially popular person.
3. (Asia, originally Japan) Popular entertainer; usually young, captivating, attractive; and often female, with an image of being close to fans.
   • '26 January 2016, Mariko Oi, The dark side of Asia’s pop music industry - BBC News

     They are known as "idols" and their job is "to sell dreams". For decades, the young pop stars of Japan and South Korea have been the envy of teenagers.

4. (obsolete) An eidolon or phantom; something misleading or elusive.

Synonyms

• (a worshipped representation): afgod (obsolete)
• (a celebrated person): icon, star, superstar

Derived terms

• idolatry
• idolise, idolize

Descendants

• Japanese: アイドル

Translations

representation of anything revered

• Arabic: صَنَم‎ m (ṣanam), وَثَن‎ (ar) m (waṯan)

  Egyptian Arabic: صنم‎ m (ṣanam)

• Armenian: կուռք (hy) (kuṙkʿ)
• Baluchi: بت‎ (but)
• Bashkir: бот (bot), һынташ (hïntaš), тораташ (torataš)
• Belarusian: і́дал m (ídal), бажо́к m (bažók), бо́ства n (bóstva)
• Bulgarian: идол (bg) m (idol)
• Catalan: ídol (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 偶像 (zh) (ǒuxiàng), 神像 (zh) (shénxiàng)

• Crimean Tatar: put
• Czech: idol m, modla (cs) f
• Dutch: afgod (nl) m, godenbeeld (nl), idool (nl)
• Finnish: jumalankuva (fi), epäjumalankuva
• French: idole (fr) f
• Georgian: კერპი (ka) (ḳerṗi)
• German: Idol (de) n, Götze (de) f
• Greek: είδωλο (el) n (eídolo)

  Ancient: εἴδωλον n (eídōlon)

• Gujarati: મૂર્તિ (mūrti), દેવપ્રતિમા (devapratimā)
• Hebrew: צלם‎ (he), פסל‎ (he), תרפים‎ (he)
• Hindi: बुत (hi) m (but), मूर्ति f (mūrti), प्रतिमा (hi) f (pratimā)
• Hungarian: bálvány (hu)
• Indonesian: berhala (id), pujaan (id)
• Italian: idolo (it) m
• Japanese: 偶像 (ja) (ぐうぞう, gūzō), アイドル (ja) (aidoru)
• Karaim: abach
• Karakhanid: بُرْخَنْ‎ (burχan)
• Kazakh: бұт (kk) (but)
• Khmer: ករវរុប (kârôvrŭb)
• Korean: 우상 (ko) (usang)

• Latgalian: dīvaklys
• Latin: īdōlum n
• Latvian: elks
• Lingala: nkísi
• Malagasy: sampy (mg)
• Malay: pujaan, berhala (ms)
• Maore Comorian: sanamwe 5 or 6
• Maori: whakapakoko
• Ngazidja Comorian: sinamu 9 or 10
• Old Occitan: ydola f
• Oriya: ମୂର୍ତ୍ତି (or) (mūrtti)
• Pashto: بت‎ (ps)
• Persian: بت‎ (fa) (bot)
• Polish: bożek (pl) m, bałwan (pl) m, idol (pl) m
• Portuguese: ídolo (pt) m
• Punjabi: ਮੂਰਤੀ (mūrtī)
• Romanian: idol (ro) m
• Russian: и́дол (ru) m (ídol), божество́ (ru) n (božestvó), божо́к (ru) m (božók)
• Sanskrit: देवता (sa) f (devatā)
• Scottish Gaelic: ìomhaigh m
• Sinhalese: පිළිමය (piḷimaya)
• Spanish: ídolo m
• Swahili: sanamu
• Telugu: విగ్రహం (te) (vigrahaṃ), విగ్రహము (te) (vigrahamu)
• Thai: เทวรูป (tee-wá-rûup), รูปเคารพ (rûup-kao-róp)
• Turkish: put (tr)
• Ukrainian: і́дол m (ídol), божество́ (uk) n (božestvó), божо́к (uk) m (božók)
• Urdu: بت‎ m (but)
• Yiddish: אָפּגאָט‎ (opgot), צלם‎ (tseylem)

cultural icon, especially popular person

• Armenian: կուռք (hy) (kuṙkʿ)
• Belarusian: і́дал m (ídal), кумі́р m (kumír)
• Bulgarian: идол (bg) m (idol)
• Catalan: ídol (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 偶像 (zh) (ǒuxiàng), 萬人迷 (zh), 万人迷 (wànrénmí)

• Finnish: idoli (fi), esikuva (fi)
• French: idole (fr) m
• German: Idol (de) n, Götze (de) f
• Greek: είδωλο (el) n (eídolo), ίνδαλμα (el) n (índalma)
• Indonesian: idola (id)

• Japanese: アイドル (ja) (aidoru), 偶像 (ja) (gūzō)
• Korean: 우상 (ko) (usang)
• Maori: hautupua
• Polish: idol (pl) m, idolka (pl) f
• Portuguese: ídolo (pt) m, ícone (pt) m
• Romanian: idol (ro) m
• Russian: и́дол (ru) m (ídol), куми́р (ru) m (kumír)
• Spanish: ídolo
• Swedish: idol (sv) c
• Thai: ไอดอล (ai-dɔ̂l)
• Ukrainian: і́дол m (ídol), куми́р m (kumýr)

Japanese popular performer

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 偶像 (zh) (ǒuxiàng)

• Finnish: idoli (fi)

• Japanese: アイドル (ja) (aidoru)
• Korean: 아이돌 (ko) (aidol)
• Thai: ไอดอล (ai-dɔ̂l)

Anagrams

• Lodi, OLDI, diol, lido, loid, olid

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Danish

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -oːl

Noun

idol n (singular definite idolet, plural indefinite idoler)

1. idol

Inflection

Declension of idol

neuter gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	idol	idolet	idoler	idolerne
genitive	idols	idolets	idolers	idolernes

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Polish

Etymology

From French idole, from Latin īdōlum, from Ancient Greek εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “image; idol”), from εἶδος (eîdos, “form”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈi.dɔl/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

idol m pers (feminine idolka)

1. idol (cultural icon, especially popular person)

Declension

declension of idol

	singular	plural
nominative	idol	idole
genitive	idola	idoli/idolów
dative	idolowi	idolom
accusative	idola	idoli/idolów
instrumental	idolem	idolami
locative	idolu	idolach
vocative	idolu	idole

Noun

idol m inan

1. idol (representation of anything revered)

   Synonyms: bożek, bałwan

Declension

declension of idol

	singular	plural
nominative	idol	idole
genitive	idolu	idoli/idolów
dative	idolowi	idolom
accusative	idol	idole
instrumental	idolem	idolami
locative	idolu	idolach
vocative	idolu	idole

Further reading

• idol in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• idol in Polish dictionaries at PWN

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Romanian

Etymology

From Greek είδωλο (eídolo), partially through the intermediate of Old Church Slavonic идолъ (idolŭ). Compare Aromanian idul, Serbo-Croatian idol.

Noun

idol m (plural idoli)

1. idol
2. pagan divinity
3. (popular) demon

Synonyms

• (demon): demon, drac, diavol, aghiuță, naiba

Related terms

• idolatru
• idolatrie

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Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ǐdoːl/
• Hyphenation: i‧dol

Noun

ìdōl m (Cyrillic spelling ѝдо̄л)

1. idol

Declension

Declension of idol

	singular	plural
nominative	ìdōl	idoli
genitive	idóla	idola
dative	idolu	idolima
accusative	idola	idole
vocative	idole	idoli
locative	idolu	idolima
instrumental	idolom	idolima