A New Word Every Day

a·poth·e·o·sis (ə-pŏth‘ē-ō‘sĭs, ăp‘ə-thē‘ə-sĭs)
n., pl. -ses (-sēz‘).

1. Exaltation to divine rank or stature; deification.
2. Elevation to a preeminent or transcendent position; glorification: “Many observers have tried to attribute Warhol’s current apotheosis to the subversive power of artistic vision” (Michiko Kakutani).
3. An exalted or glorified example: Their leader was the apotheosis of courage.

[Late Latin apotheōsis, from Greek, from apotheoun, to deify : apo-, change; see apo– + theos, god.]