English

Noun

idolum ‎(plural idola)

1. An insubstantial image; a spectre or phantom.
2. A mental image or idea.
3. A misconception or fallacy. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Related terms

• eidolon
• idol

Anagrams

• dolium
• moduli

Latin

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /iːˈdoː.lum/, [iːˈdoː.ɫũ]

Noun

īdōlum n ‎(genitive īdōlī); second declension

1. image, form, especially a spectre, apparition or ghost
2. (Late Latin, Christianity) idol

Inflection

Second declension.

Descendants

• Dutch: idool
• English: idol, idolum
• Portuguese: ídolo

References

• idolum in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• IDOLUM in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “idolum”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.