did icon only mean a holy image?

i never realize or thought that, only that it meant IMAGE.
the story of St. 'veronica' (a name that is, or *speculated that it is, the run together words Vera (true) and icon
(image)) always seemed odd. was there a woman Veronica? or was there a woman with a Veronica? (a true image)

(*see The American Heritage Dictionary, veronica

icon is used in combination with other words, and it never has a 'religious/holy' sense in these other uses, iconclast, for example.

my other obsession