Apotheosis (noun)
- Exaltation to divine rank or stature; deification.
- Elevation to a preeminent or transcendent position; glorification: “Many observers have tried to attribute Warhol's current apotheosis to the subversive power of artistic vision” (Michiko Kakutani).
- An exalted or glorified example: Their leader was the apotheosis of courage.
Word History & Origin
1600s, from L.L. apotheosis “deification,” from Gk. apotheosis, from apotheoun “deify, make (someone) a god,” from apo- special use of this prefix, meaning, here, “change” + theos “god”. Verb apotheosize is attested from 1760.
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