Idolatrizes

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To excessively revere or worship a person or idea, often leading to a fanatical devotion to their virtues or significance
2. Displays extreme admiration or reverence toward a person or concept that borders on devotion
3. Shows an intense and sometimes obsessive respect or adoration for someone or something

Etymology: "Idolatrizes" is the third-person singular present form of "idolatrize," so the story belongs to its base verb. That verb combines "idol," from Old French "idole" and ultimately Greek "eidōlon," meaning "image" or "phantom," with the suffix "-ize," which turns a noun into a verb meaning to make into, treat as, or act upon. To idolatrize is therefore to treat someone or something as an idol, or to worship it as one. The "-ize" ending is a long-standing English pattern, borrowed through Latin and Greek, that has produced many verbs for turning a thing into something else. The base noun "idolatry" is the older of the two, and "idolatrize" follows the same logic: the worship comes first, and the verb names the act of practising it.

Synonyms: worships, adores, venerates

Antonyms: despises, disdains, condemns