a primitive image of a god, carved, esp originally, in wood, and supposed to have fallen from heaven
Word origin
C18: from Greek, from xuō to scrape, smooth
xoanon in American English
(ˈzouəˌnɑn)
nounWord forms: plural-na (-nə)
Archaeology
a simple, carved image, esp. one in which the original block of stone or wood is readily apparent
Word origin
[1700–10; ‹ Gk xóanon carved image; akin to xeîn to scrape, carve]This word is first recorded in the period 1700–10. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: camera, cirrus, cozy, marquise, sliding scale