god vs idol what difference

what is difference between god and idol

English

Etymology

From Middle English god, from Old English god (“deity”), originally neuter, then changed to masculine to reflect the change in religion to Christianity, from Proto-West Germanic *god n, from Proto-Germanic *gudą, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰutós (“invoked (one)”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewH- (“to call, to invoke”) or *ǵʰew- (“to pour”). Not related to the word good.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɡɒd/, /ɡɔːd/
• (General American, Ireland) IPA^(key): /ɡɑd/
• (General Australian, General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ɡɔd/, /ɡɔːd/
• (Canada, Wales) IPA^(key): /ɡɒːd/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /ɡɔd/
• enPR: gŏd
• Homophone: gaud (in accents with the cot-caught merger)
• Rhymes: -ɒd

Noun

god (plural gods)

1. A deity or supreme being; a supernatural, typically immortal, being with superior powers, to which personhood is attributed.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:god
2. Alternative letter-case form of God.
3. An idol.
   1. A representation of a deity, especially a statue or statuette.
   2. Something or someone particularly revered, worshipped, idealized, admired and/or followed.

      • whose god is their belly

4. (figuratively, slang) A person who is exceptionally skilled in a particular activity.

5. (figuratively) A person in a high position of authority, importance or influence.
6. (figuratively) A powerful ruler or tyrant.
7. (colloquial) An exceedingly handsome man.
   • a. 1918, Wilfred Owen, Disabled

     Someone had said he’d look a god in kilts.

8. (Internet, role-playing games) The person who owns and runs a multi-user dungeon.

Usage notes

The word god is often applied both to males and to females. The word was originally neuter in Proto-Germanic; monotheistic – notably Judeo-Christian – usage completely shifted the gender to masculine, necessitating the development of a feminine form, goddess. (In Old English the feminine gyden, as well as a more explicitly marked masculine goda, existed.)

Alternative forms

• gawd, Gawd, God

Derived terms

Descendants

• Sranan Tongo: gado

Translations

See god/translations § Noun.

Proper noun

god

1. (very rare) Alternative form of God
   • 1530, William Tyndall, An aunſwere vnto Syr Thomas Mores Dialogue in The whole workes of W. Tyndall, Iohn Frith, and Doct. Barnes, three worthy Martyrs, and principall teachers of this Churche of England, collected and compiled in one Tome togither, beyng before ſcattered, & now in Print here exhibited to the Church (1573), page 271/2:

     And ſuch is to beare yͤ names of god with croſſes betwene ech name about them.

   • 1900, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, “The Happy Man” in The Wild Knight and Other Poems:

     Golgotha’s ghastly trinity—

     Three persons and one god.

Verb

god (third-person singular simple present gods, present participle godding, simple past and past participle godded)

1. (transitive) To idolize.
   • a. 1866, Edward Bulwer Lytton, “Death and Sisyphus”.

     To men the first necessity is gods; / And if the gods were not, / ” Man would invent them, tho’ they godded stones.

   • 2001, Conrad C. Fink, Sportswriting: The Lively Game, page 78

     “Godded him up” … It’s the fear of discerning journalists: Does coverage of athletic stars, on field and off, approach beatification of the living?

2. (transitive) To deify.
   • 1595, Edmund Spenser, Colin Clouts Come Home Againe.

     Then got he bow and fhafts of gold and lead, / In which fo fell and puiflant he grew, / That Jove himfelfe his powre began to dread, / And, taking up to heaven, him godded new.

   • 1951, Eric Voegelin, Dante Germino ed., The New Science of Politics: An Introduction (1987), page 125

     The superman marks the end of a road on which we find such figures as the “godded man” of English Reformation mystics

   • 1956, C. S. Lewis, Fritz Eichenberg, Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold, page 241

     “She is so lately godded that she is still a rather poor goddess, Stranger.

Translations

See also

References

• Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967
• Bosworth, Toller, “An Anglo Saxon Dictionary”: http://bosworth.ff.cuni.cz/017298

Further reading

• god on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• god (word) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• DOG, Dog, dog

Danish

Etymology

From Old Danish gōþær, gothær, from Old Norse góðr (“good”), from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz. Cognate with English good and German gut.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɡ̊oˀð], [ˈɡ̊oðˀ], [ˈɡ̊oˀ]
• Rhymes: -oð

Adjective

god (neuter godt, plural and definite singular attributive gode, comparative bedre, superlative (predicative) bedst, superlative (attributive) bedste)

1. good

References

• “god” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch god, from Old Dutch got, from Proto-West Germanic *god, from Proto-Germanic *gudą, from the Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰutós (“invoked (one)”). Compare English and West Frisian god, German Gott, Danish gud.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɣɔt/
• Rhymes: -ɔt
• (Belgium) IPA^(key): [ʝɔt]
• (Netherlands) IPA^(key): [xɔt]

Noun

god m (plural goden, diminutive godje n, feminine godin)

1. god, deity

Derived terms

• afgod
• berggod
• God
• godbevinding
• godenbeeld
• godenbrood
• godendienst
• godendom
• godendrank
• godenleer
• godenspijs
• godgezang
• godheid
• godin
• godsakker
• godschalk
• godsdienst
• godsgebied
• godsgeheim
• godshuis
• godskind
• godslastering
• godsloochening
• godsnaam
• godvormig
• gut
• krijgsgod
• minnegod
• ongodisme

Descendants

• Negerhollands: god, got, godt

Gothic

Romanization

gōd

1. Romanization of ????????????

Low German

Alternative forms

• good, goot, got
• (in other dialects) gaud (comparative bäter, beter)
• (in other dialects) gut (comparative bȩter)
• (in other dialects) gud (comparative biäter), gutt (inflected gudd-)

Etymology

From Middle Low German gôt, from Old Saxon gōd, from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡoʊt/, /ɣɔʊt/, /ɣoʊt/

Adjective

god

1. (in some dialects) good (alternative spelling of goot)

Usage notes

• The comparative is bäter and the superlative is best.

Lower Sorbian

Noun

god

1. Superseded spelling of gód.

Middle Dutch

Noun

god m

1. Alternative spelling of got

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English god, from Proto-West Germanic *god, from Proto-Germanic *gudą, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰutós.

Alternative forms

• God, godd, godde

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɔd/

Noun

god (plural goddes, genitive goddes)

1. A god or deity; a divine individual.
2. A person worshipped as a divinity.

Descendants

• English: god
• Scots: god
• Yola: gud

References

• “god, god, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-02-23.

Proper noun

god (genitive goddes, uncountable)

1. God (the deity of Abrahamic religions, especially the Christian God, considered to be Jesus Christ)

Related terms

• godfader
• godmoder

Descendants

• English: God
• Scots: God
• Yola: Gud

References

• god in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• “god, god, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-02-23.

Etymology 2

From Old English gōd (“good”).

Adjective

god

1. Alternative form of good

Middle Low German

Adjective

god

1. Alternative spelling of gôt.

Noun

god

1. Alternative spelling of got.
2. Alternative spelling of gôt.

Navajo

Etymology

From Proto-Athabaskan *-ɢᴜ̓t’.

Cognates:

• Apachean: Western Apache -god, Chiricahua -go’
• Others: Hupa -ɢot’, Mattole -goʔł, Galice -gʷay’, Chilcotin -gʷə́d, Slavey -gó’, Dogrib -gò, Chipewyan -gór, Sekani -gʷə̀de’, Beaver -gʷəd, Lower Tanana -gᴜd, Hän -gòd, Ahtna -ɢo’d, Dena’ina -ɢət’, Eyak -ɢuʰd

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kòt], [kɣʷòt]

Noun

-god (inalienable)

1. knee

Derived terms

• agod (“someone’s knee”)
• hagod (“one’s knee”)
• bigod (“his/her/their knee”)
• shigod (“my knee”)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse góðr, from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- (“to join, to unite”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡuː/, [ɡɯᵝː]

Adjective

god (neuter singular godt, definite singular and plural gode, comparative bedre, indefinite superlative best, definite superlative beste)

1. good

Derived terms

References

• “god” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse góðr, from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- (“to join, to unite”). Akin to English good.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡuː/

Adjective

god (masculine and feminine god, neuter godt, definite singular and plural gode, comparative betre, indefinite superlative best, definite superlative beste)

1. good

Derived terms

References

• “god” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *gōd, from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡoːd/

Adjective

gōd (comparative betera, superlative betst, adverb wel)

1. good

Declension

Derived terms

• gōdnes

Descendants

• Middle English: good, god, gode, goed, gude
  • English: good
  • Scots: guid
  • Yola: gooude, gayde

Noun

gōd n

1. good (something good or good things collectively)

Declension

Etymology 2

From Proto-West Germanic *god, from Proto-Germanic *gudą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡod/

Noun

god n or m

1. a god

Declension

neuter

masculine (influence of Christianity)

Derived terms

• godcund (“divine, godlike”)
• gyden (“goddess”)

Proper noun

god m

1. Alternative letter-case form of God.

Declension

Descendants

• Middle English: god, God, godd, godde
  • English: god
  • Scots: god
  • Yola: gud

Old Frisian

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *gōd, from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz.

Adjective

gōd

1. good

Inflection

Descendants

• North Frisian:

  Föhr-Amrum: gud

• Saterland Frisian: goud
• West Frisian: goed

Old Saxon

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *gōd, from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- (“to join, to unite”).

Compare Old English and West Frisian gōd, Old High German and Old Dutch guot, Old Norse góðr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɣoːd/

Adjective

gōd (comparative betiro, superlative betst)

1. good
   • Heliand, verse 363

Declension

Descendants

• Middle Low German: gôt
  • German Low German: good
  • Low German: goot

Etymology 2

From Proto-West Germanic *gōd, from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɣoːd/

Noun

gōd n

1. goodness, benefit
   • Heliand, verse 1456

Declension

Descendants

• Middle Low German: gôt
  • German Low German: Good
  • Low German: Goot

Etymology 3

From Proto-West Germanic *god, from Proto-Germanic *gudą, from the Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰutós (“invoked (one)”). Compare Old English god, Old Frisian god, Old High German got, Old Norse guð.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɣɔd/

Noun

god n

1. god
   • Heliand, verse 326

Declension

Descendants

• Middle Low German: got

Etymology 4

From Proto-West Germanic *god, from Proto-Germanic *gudą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɣɔd/

Noun

god m

1. God, the Christian god
   • Heliand, verse 11

Declension

Descendants

• Middle Low German: got

Romansch

Alternative forms

• guaud (Rumantsch Grischun)
• uaul, gòld (Sutsilvan)
• gôt (Surmiran)

Etymology

Of probable Germanic origin (compare German Wald, Dutch woud, English wold).

Noun

god m (plural gods)

1. (Puter, Vallader) forest

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *godъ. Cognate with Slovene god, Old Church Slavonic годъ (godŭ), Russian год (god).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡôːd/

Noun

gȏd m (Cyrillic spelling го̑д)

1. name day
2. anniversary, holiday
3. ring (on a tree)

Declension

Particle

god (Cyrillic spelling год)

1. generalization particle

Slovene

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *godъ. Cognate with Serbo-Croatian god, Old Church Slavonic годъ (godŭ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡóːt/

Noun

gọ̑d m inan

1. name day

Inflection

Further reading

• “god”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish gōþer, from Old Norse góðr, from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- (“to join, to unite”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡuːd/, (colloquial) /ɡuː/

Adjective

god (comparative godare or bättre, superlative godast or bäst)

1. good (not evil), kind
2. good (in taste)

3. (somewhat dated) good (not bad), fine, useful

Declension

Antonyms

• (not evil): elak, ond
• (tasting): äcklig, illasmakande
• (not bad): dålig

Derived terms

• god dag

Anagrams

• dog

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian god, from Proto-West Germanic *god, from Proto-Germanic *gudą, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰutós.

Noun

god c (plural goaden, diminutive godsje)

1. god, deity

Further reading

• “God”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

English

Alternative forms

• idoll (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English ydole, from Old French idole, from Latin idolum, from Ancient Greek εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “image, idol”), from εἶδος (eîdos, “form”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéydos (“seeing, image”), from *weyd- (“to see”). Doublet of eidolon and idolum.

Pronunciation

• enPR: īʹd(ə)l, IPA^(key): /ˈaɪd(ə)l/
• Rhymes: -aɪdəl
• Homophones: idle, idyl(l) (US pronunciation)

Noun

idol (plural idols)

1. A graven image or representation of anything that is revered, or believed to convey spiritual power.
   • 1911 The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God, J. Milton Hayes:

     There’s a one-eyed yellow idol to the north of Kathmandu, There’s a little marble cross below the town; There’s a broken-hearted woman tends the grave of Mad Carew, And the Yellow God forever gazes down.

2. A cultural icon, or especially popular person.
3. (Asia, originally Japan) Popular entertainer; usually young, captivating, attractive; and often female, with an image of being close to fans.
   • ‘26 January 2016, Mariko Oi, The dark side of Asia’s pop music industry – BBC News

4. (obsolete) An eidolon or phantom; something misleading or elusive.

Synonyms

• (a worshipped representation): afgod (obsolete)
• (a celebrated person): icon, star, superstar

Derived terms

• idolatry
• idolise, idolize

Descendants

• → Japanese: アイドル (aidoru)

Translations

Anagrams

• Lodi, OLDI, diol, lido, loid, olid

Danish

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -oːl

Noun

idol n (singular definite idolet, plural indefinite idoler)

1. idol

Inflection

Middle English

Noun

idol

1. Alternative form of ydole

Polish

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈi.dɔl/

Noun

idol m pers (feminine idolka)

1. idol (cultural icon, especially popular person)

Declension

Noun

idol m inan

1. idol (representation of anything revered)

   Synonyms: bożek, bałwan

Declension

Further reading

• idol in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• idol in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

From Greek είδωλο (eídolo), partially through the intermediate of Old Church Slavonic идолъ (idolŭ). Compare Aromanian idul, Serbo-Croatian idol.

Noun

idol m (plural idoli)

1. idol
2. pagan divinity
3. (popular) demon

Synonyms

• (demon): demon, drac, diavol, aghiuță, naiba

Related terms

• idolatru
• idolatrie

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ǐdoːl/
• Hyphenation: i‧dol

Noun

ìdōl m (Cyrillic spelling ѝдо̄л)

1. idol

Declension

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