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The meanings and uses of the word “glory” have varied substantially throughout the last two millennia in Europe. In the Hebraic bible, one spoke of the “glory” of God, which described both divine strength and its manifestations on earth. When they became Christians, Europeans became familiar with a word that was present in many aspects of everyday religious celebrations. Consequently, representations of the glory (of God or of the saints) were frequent in painting and music. In French, the word “glory” came to designate parts of some decorative architectural features or technical artifacts. When democracy became the prevailing political system, the word then expanded to new registers. After the Napoleonic Wars, it was possible to celebrate the glory of men of rank, even that of the Unknown Soldier. In caricature and parody, authors readily denounced the supposed glory of prominent people. When used in sports or the media, the word “glory” became gradually subjected to devaluation, being now on par with “celebrity” or “fame.”