English → Latin
“idol” in Latin
īdōlumimage, form, especially a spectre, apparition or ghost; idolsignumvisible indication: sign, mark, signal; seal, signet; emblem, ensigncommentīciusinvented, devised, fabricated; imaginary; fictitiouscolōto cultivate the land, till, tend, take care of a field or garden; to inhabit; to frequent, be the guardian of, cherish,
The English word idol itself goes back to Latin īdōlum.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
idol
PROPR., idolum (ecclesiastical): signum or simulacrum dei: deus fictus or commenticius, or fictus et commenticius. To worship idols, *deos fictos et commenticios venerari, colere; *simulacra divino cultu colere.
FIG., Demetrius is their idol, Demetrius iis unus omnia est (Liv.): the son is the mother’s idol, mater filium in oculis gestat: to make a person or thing one’s idol, aliquem, aliquid pro deo venerari; insanire amore alicujus rei: to make anybody the idol of anybody, facere aliquem apud aliquem deum (Terentianus). Sometimes heros (of a political idol; the great man of a party; e.g., heros ille noster Cato).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for idol?
- The usual Latin words for “idol” are īdōlum, signum, commentīcius; also colō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.