apotheosis n. [uh-pah-thee-OH-sis]
尊为神；神化；典范；顶峰
Definition
1 a: the perfect form or example of something : quintessence
a： （某物）完美的形态或样板：精华，典型，精髓，第五元素
b: the highest or best part of something : peak
b：（某物）最高或最佳部分：顶峰，顶点
2: elevation to divine status: deification
2：尊为神，神化
Did You Know?
Among the anicent Greeks, it was sometimes thought fitting - or simply handy, say if you wanted a god somewhere in your bloodline - to grant someone or other "god" status. So they created the word apotheōsis, from the verb apotheoun, meaning "to deify." (The prefix apo- can mean "off," "from," or "away," and theos is the Greek word for "god.") There's not a lot of Greek-style apotheosizing in the 21st century, but there is hero-worship. Out extended use of apotheosis as "elevation to divine status" is the equivalent of "placement on a very high pedestal." Even more common these days is to use apotheosis in reference to a perfect example or ultimate form. For example, one might describe a movie as "the apotheosis of the sci-fi movie genre."
词源词根演化：apo- (from) + theos (god) --> apotheoun (v.) / apotheōsis (n.) --> apotheosis (n.)
在古希腊，你让家族中的某位神给予某人或他人“神”地位，这是合适的，也是很方便的。所以他们就创造了单词apotheōsis。这个名词来自于动词apotheoun，意思是“神化”。前缀apo-的意思是“离开”，“从...”，或者“远离”；theos是希腊单词god（神）。在21世纪已经很少有神崇拜了，不过我们还是崇拜英雄。所以apotheosis“神化”这个意思现在等价于“尊之为神”。现代更为常见的用法是用于指代完美的样板或者最终形态。例如，可以用将某电影描述为“the apotheosis of the sci-fi movie genre (科幻电影的神作)”
注：bloodline：血统，血族；pedestal：基架，受人尊敬的地位；
Example
- "Four decades after its box office debut, Grease remains a cultural phenomenon. ... [Olivia] Newton-John is particularly stellar, with her charming persona and spotless soprano voice making the film the apotheosis of her '70s superstardom."
--- Billborad.com, 4 Oct 2018
在上映40年后，Grease（油脂）这部电影依然保持作为一种文化现象...[Olivia] Newton-John 尤其是一流的，她魅力的人格以及无瑕的女高音，使得这部电影成为她作为70年代超级明星的神作。
注：decade：十年；box office：售票处；cultrual phenomenon：文化现象；stellar：星（状的），和电影明星有关的，一流的；persona：角色，面具人格；spotless：洁白无瑕的，非常洁净的，无缺点；soprono voice：女高音；superstardom：超级明星 - "In 2018, this adaptation [of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451] speaks to the apotheosis of social media, to the approach of authoritarianism, and to any other anxieties about the self-surveillance state that you might harbor."
--- Troy Patterson, The New Yorker, 18 May 2018
在2018年，这个对Ray Bradbury的Fahrenheit 451的改编电影，与社交媒体的神对话，对专制主义方法对话，以及与对自治州的焦虑对话。
注：adaptation：改编；social media：社交媒体；authoritarianism：权利主义，专制主义；self-surveillance：自治州
Reference
Grease：1978年美国的浪漫音乐喜剧电影，中译作：油脂
Farenheit 451: a dystopian (反乌托邦的) novel by American writer Ray Bradbury, first published in 1953. The novel presents a future American society where books are outlawed and "firemen" burn any that are found.
