Word of the Day for Friday May 27, 2005 lionize \LY-uh-nyz\, transitive verb:To treat or regard as an object great interest or importance. At Penn State he'd been welcomed, nurtured, lionized as a track and field star who narrowly missed making our Olympic team in the decathlon --James Brady, Further Lane But it is a good reason to be wary, and to pay some attention to that man behind the curtain -- or, if anyone tries to sell you one, to be cautious about lionizing "some pig" -- however terrific, radiant, and humble -- in a poke. --Marjorie B. Garber, Symptoms of Culture But the urge to lionize him is an indication that we live in a terrible age for pianists. There is today almost no pianist worth crossing the street for. --Jay Nordlinger, "Curtain Calls," National Review, May 31, 1999 Lionize, comes from lion, in the sense of "a person of great interest or importance." Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for lionize