Strangely, the word celebrity originally meant an important occasion, like a coronation or a parade, and it wasn't until 1849 before somebody famous could be described as a celebrity. Fame comes from the terrifying Roman monster goddess Fama, whose name derived from the Latin verb 'fari' (meaning to speak) – 2,000 years ago, to be famous was to be gossiped about by strangers. We use words like fame, celebrity, stardom, renown, VIP, notorious, and infamous interchangeably, but they all have their own specific (and confusing) heritage. This had a profound effect on culture and society, with celebrities doing much to shape who we became as people, and also leaving surprising trip-hazards in our language. Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity from Bronze Age to Silver ScreenĢ020, front cover of book by Greg Jenner, published by W&N
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