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Glite Dictionary
heliolatry

heliolatry

9.9
Worship of the sun, especially in ancient religions
  • noun
  • /ˈhiːliˌɒlədri/
  • Specialized
translation icon : heliolatría
  • The study of heliolatry reveals how different cultures revered the sun throughout history.

Examples

  • Many early civilizations practiced heliolatry, believing that the sun was a source of life and divinity.

  • She saw through his pose of macho heliolatry.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • In ancient Egypt, heliolatry was central to their religious practices, as they worshiped the sun god Ra.

Synonyms

sun-worship
vsheliolatry
9.2

A religious practice in which people pray to the sun as a god

is focused especially on ancient religions rather than general practice

Surface Forms

heliolatry singular
heliolatries plural

Morphology

heliolatry = helio + latry

The word is built from Greek combining forms (helio- 'sun' + -latry 'worship') that are not standalone English words and are unlikely to be recognized by an average B1 learner, so the meaning is not transparently derivable from familiar English bases.

Etymology

Heliolatry comes from Greek parts helio- meaning 'sun' and -latry meaning 'worship'. So, heliolatry means the worship of the sun, as in ancient cultures that built temples to sun gods. You can also see helio- in words like helium and heliocentric, which are linked to the 'sun'.