/uyd"l/ , n.
1. an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed.
2. Bible.
a. an image of a deity other than God.
b. the deity itself.
3. any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion: Madame Curie had been her childhood idol.
4. a mere image or semblance of something, visible but without substance, as a phantom.
5. a figment of the mind; fantasy.
6. a false conception or notion; fallacy.
[ 1200-50; ME idolum eídolon image, idol, deriv. of eîdos shape, form ]
Syn. 1. See image. 3. favorite, darling, pet.