hagiography

noun
/ˌhæɡiˈɒɡɹəfi/US/ˌhæɡiˈɒɡɹəfi/UK

Etymology

From hagio- + -graphy.

  1. derived from -γραφία
  2. formed as hagiography — “hagio- + -graphy

Definitions

  1. The study of saints and the documentation of their lives.

    • The second half of the eleventh century saw a notable surge of interest in hagiography throughout England, which meant that many of the Anglo-Saxon saints of earlier eras were furnished, often for the first time, with a Latin Vita.
  2. A biography of a saint.

  3. A biography which expresses reverence and respect for its subject.

    • Churchill revisionism, of course, is almost as much of a cottage industry as Churchill hagiography.
  4. + 1 more definition
    1. A biography which is uncritically supportive of its subject, often including…

      A biography which is uncritically supportive of its subject, often including embellishments or propaganda.

      • For an obsequious hagiography of [William] Byrd, see L. Wright 1940. For a more critical assessment, see Lockridge 1987, 1992.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for hagiography. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA