Iconoclasts

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Those who actively confront and oppose established traditions or beliefs
2. Individuals who resist conventional values and seek to bring about change in societal norms
3. Persons known for rejecting and questioning long-held customs or beliefs

Etymology: The plural "iconoclasts" is simply the plural of "iconoclast," so the story belongs to the singular. It began in the Byzantine Empire, where the Greek "eikonoklastes" meant "image breaker," built from "eikon," image, and "klastes," breaker, from the verb "klan," to break. The name was applied to those who opposed the veneration of religious icons, most famously during the eighth and ninth century disputes over religious images in the Eastern church, and it was a term of hostile description rather than something the people involved would have chosen for themselves. The word passed through Medieval Latin "iconoclastes" and then into French as "iconoclaste," from which English borrowed it. Its sense then widened from the literal breaking of religious images to anyone who attacks cherished beliefs, customs or institutions, which is the meaning the word carries today.