a·poth·e·o·sis

(ə-pŏth′ē-ō′sĭs, ăp′ə-thē′ə-sĭs)

n. pl. a·poth·e·o·ses (-sēz′)

1. Exaltation to divine rank or stature; deification.

2. Elevation to a preeminent or transcendent position; glorification: "tried to attribute Warhol's current apotheosis to the subversive power of artistic vision" (Michiko Kakutani).

3. An exalted or glorified example: Their leader was the apotheosis of courage.

[Late Latin apotheōsis, from Greek, from apotheoun, to deify : apo-, change; see apo- + theos, god; see dhēs- in Indo-European roots.]

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.

apotheosis

(əˌpɒθɪˈəʊsɪs)

n, pl -ses (-siːz)

1. (Theology) the elevation of a person to the rank of a god; deification

2. glorification of a person or thing

3. a glorified ideal

4. the best or greatest time or event: the apotheosis of De Niro's career.

[C17: via Late Latin from Greek: deification, from theos god]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

a•poth•e•o•sis

(əˌpɒθ iˈoʊ sɪs, ˌæp əˈθi ə sɪs)

n., pl. -ses (-siz, -ˌsiz)

1. the elevation of a person to the rank of a god.

2. the ideal example; epitome.

[1570–80; < Late Latin < Greek. See apo-, theo-, -osis]

apotheosis

any kind of honoring or glorification of a person. See also god and gods.

apotheosis

noun deification, elevation, exaltation, glorification, idealization, idolization This was the time of the star's apotheosis.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

apotheosis

noun

The act of raising to a high position or status or the condition of being so raised:

aggrandizement, elevation, ennoblement, exaltation, glorification.

Translations

apotheosis

[əˌpɒθɪˈəʊsɪs] N (apotheoses (pl)) [əˌpɒθɪˈəʊsiːz] → apoteosis f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

apotheosis

[əˌpɒθiˈəʊsɪs] (formal) n

(= epitome) → quintessence f
the apotheosis of sth → l'exemple même de qch

(= high point) → apothéose f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

apotheosis

n → Apotheose f (liter) → (into zu)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

apotheosis

[əˌpɒθɪˈəʊsɪs] n

a. apotheosis of → perfetto esempio di

b. (Art) → apoteosi f inv

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Up from the spray of thy ocean-perishing --straight up, leaps thy apotheosis!

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How strange was this miracle of fame, I pondered, this strange apotheosis by which a mere private name becomes a public symbol!

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The apotheosis was worthy of these three heroes whom fable would have placed in the rank of demigods.

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A woman, in an atmosphere of red-hot enthusiasm, witnesses the apotheosis of Physical Strength.

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All comprehension is creation; the woman I love is somewhat of my handiwork; and the great lover, like the great painter, is he that can so embellish his subject as to make her more than human, whilst yet by a cunning art he has so based his apotheosis on the nature of the case that the woman can go on being a true woman, and give her character free play, and show littleness, or cherish spite, or be greedy of common pleasures, and he continue to worship without a thought of incongruity.

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She disappeared in a kind of sulphurous apotheosis, and when a few years later Medora again came back to New York, subdued, impoverished, mourning a third husband, and in quest of a still smaller house, people wondered that her rich niece had not been able to do something for her.

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I see my own apotheosis, my public funeral, my nation's tears, my burial in the glorious church.

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He had entitled the story "Adventure," and it was the apotheosis of adventure - not of the adventure of the storybooks, but of real adventure, the savage taskmaster, awful of punishment and awful of reward, faithless and whimsical, demanding terrible patience and heartbreaking days and nights of toil, offering the blazing sunlight glory or dark death at the end of thirst and famine or of the long drag and monstrous delirium of rotting fever, through blood and sweat and stinging insects leading up by long chains of petty and ignoble contacts to royal culminations and lordly achievements.

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"It was the Apotheosis of the Bunny," said he, but in a tone I never shall forget.

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The moment he was landed, his late driver with a wave of the carrot, said 'Supper, Eddard!' and he, the hind hoofs, the truck, and Edward, all seemed to fly into the air together, in a kind of apotheosis.

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In open-mouthed wonder the lama turned to this and that, and finally checked in rapt attention before a large alto- relief representing a coronation or apotheosis of the Lord Buddha.

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I think that the sound from the stage is also good, so that we finally have a real opera house, rather than the apotheosis of a village hall.'

Backstage

Noun	1.	apotheosis - model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal nonesuch, nonpareil, nonsuch, paragon, ideal, saint crackerjack, jimdandy, jimhickey - someone excellent of their kind; "he's a jimdandy of a soldier" role model, model - someone worthy of imitation; "every child needs a role model" class act - someone who shows impressive and stylish excellence humdinger - someone of remarkable excellence; "a humdinger of a secretary"
	2.	apotheosis - the elevation of a person (as to the status of a god) deification, exaltation worship - the activity of worshipping