golden calf
golden calf
n.
1. In the Bible, a golden image of a calf fashioned by Aaron and worshiped by the Israelites while Moses was on Mount Sinai.
2.
a. Money as an object of worship; mammon.
b. The subject of intense veneration: "We create a golden calf ... every time we take something of the earth and declare it exempt from the laws of history" (James Carroll).
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
golden calf
n
1. (Bible) Old Testament
a. an idol made by Aaron and set up for the Israelites to worship (Exodus 32)
b. either of two similar idols set up by Jeroboam I at Dan and Bethel in the northern kingdom (I Kings 12:28–30)
2. informal the pursuit or idolization of material wealth
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
gold′en calf′
n.
1. a golden idol set up by Aaron. Ex. 32.
2. either of the two similar idols set up by Jeroboam. I Kings 12:28, 29.
3. money or material goods.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  golden calf - (Old Testament) an idol made by Aaron for the Israelites to worship; destroyed by Moses; it is now used to refer to anything worshipped undeservedlygraven image, idol, god - a material effigy that is worshipped; "thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image"; "money was his god" Old Testament - the collection of books comprising the sacred scripture of the Hebrews and recording their history as the chosen people; the first half of the Christian Bible |
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