Eidolon
[ay-DOH-lən]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Greek, early 19th century
1.
An idealized person or thing.
2.
A specter or phantom.
Examples of Eidolon in a sentence
"Marilyn Monroe was once the eidolon of femininity."
"The movie “Poltergeist” has a menacing eidolon that haunts a family’s new home."
About Eidolon
This word, which first appeared around the 1820s, stems from the Greek “eidōlon,” from “eidos,” meaning “form.”
Did you Know?
The eidolon of Hamlet’s father is a somber presence in the Shakespeare play. According to some accounts, the playwright took on the role of the ghost himself in its original productions.