Iconolatry
/ˌaɪ.kəˈnɑː.lə.tri/noun
The worship of icons or images, especially in a religious context.
Did you know?Iconolatry became a loaded term in Christian controversies over icons, where the power of images was treated as spiritually dangerous, almost as if pictures themselves could channel divine force.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
eikōn
“image, likeness, portrait”
Ancient Greek
Greek
latreia
“service, worship, religious devotion”
Late Greek / Byzantine
Greek
eikonolatreia
“worship of images or icons”
16th–17th Century
English
iconolatry
“worship of icons, especially in polemical religious writing”
Modern English
English
iconolatry
“worship of icons or images”
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