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Glite Dictionary
ikon

ikon

9.9
A religious painting of a saint on a small wooden board used in Orthodox churches
  • noun
  • /ˈaɪkɒn/
  • Archaic
translation icon : ícono

Examples

  • But after a while, he became able to summon her without anxiety, without longing overmuch, content to contemplate her the way an Orthodox saint painted on an ikon might gaze at an apparition of the Virgin.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The church is decorated with an ikon of Saint George, which is venerated by the congregation.

  • During the service, the priest lit candles around the ikon and prayed for the community.

  • In Eastern Orthodox traditions, an ikon serves as a window to the divine, depicting holy figures with great reverence.

Synonyms

icon
vsikon
25 6.7

A painted image of a holy person used in Eastern Orthodox worship

is the conventional small wooden panel form used for such veneration
eikon
vsikon
  • Archaic
9.9

A painted image of a holy person used in worship

is a specific painted panel type rather than a general worship image

How Sacred

ikon
  • Archaic
9.9
image
∞ 1.0
painting
648 1.0

Surface Forms

ikon singular
ikons plural

Etymology

Ikon comes from the Greek word eikon, meaning 'image' or 'picture', and is the same root as the English icon. So an ikon is a painted image of a saint or holy person, used in the Eastern Orthodox Church for prayer and honour.