eidolon
Americannoun
plural
eidola, eidolons-
a phantom; apparition.
-
an ideal.
noun
-
an unsubstantial image; apparition; phantom
-
an ideal or idealized figure
Etymology
Origin of eidolon
First recorded in 1820–30; see origin at idol
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The most famous eidolon appeared in Greek literature as the likeness of another Helen - Helen of Troy.
From Washington Times • Mar. 27, 2017
Helen doesn’t ask anyone at Prime Space to explain her mission’s name, Eidolon, but if she’d checked Wikipedia, she would have learned that an eidolon is a phantom in human form.
From Washington Times • Mar. 27, 2017
Contrast the Belvedere with the Venus de Milo, the very eidolon of the female form, the Queen of the Loves; the head too small for great intellect but big enough for the greatest love.
From Time Magazine Archive
Maybe he had actually been an eidolon his whole life, because this kid he’d just seen should have been the real Leo.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
After having been possessed by an eidolon three days ago, he didn’t appreciate the feeling.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
