'idol' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'eidōlon', where 'eid-' meant 'form' or 'image'.

'idol' changed from Greek 'eidōlon' into Latin 'idolum', then into Old French 'idole', and eventually became the modern English word 'idol' via Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'image' or 'apparition', then came to mean 'a representation of a deity used in worship', and later expanded figuratively to mean 'an object of admiration or devotion'.