'iconoclast' originates from Greek via Late Latin and French; specifically from Greek 'eikonoklastēs', where 'eikōn/ikon(o)-' meant 'image' and 'klastēs' meant 'breaker'.

'iconoclast' changed from Greek word 'eikonoklastēs' to Late Latin 'iconoclastes', then through French 'iconoclaste', and eventually became the modern English word 'iconoclast'.

Initially, it meant 'one who breaks images' (a literal image-breaker), but over time it evolved into its broader current meaning of 'someone who attacks or rejects cherished beliefs or institutions'.