imago

American  

[ih-mey-goh, ih-mah-] / ɪˈmeɪ goʊ, ɪˈmɑ- /

noun

PLURAL

imagoes, imagines

1. Entomology.  an adult insect.

2. Psychoanalysis.  an idealized concept of a loved one, formed in childhood and retained unaltered in adult life.

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imago British  

/ ɪˈmeɪɡəʊ /

noun

1. an adult sexually mature insect produced after metamorphosis

2. psychoanal an idealized image of another person, usually a parent, acquired in childhood and carried in the unconscious in later life

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imago Scientific  

/ ĭ-mā′gō /

PLURAL

imagoes

1. An insect in its sexually mature adult stage after metamorphosis.

2. Compare larva nymph pupa

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Etymology

Origin of imago

1790–1800; < New Latin, Latin imāgō; image

Example Sentences

Gwynn imagines his father “having a smile from ear to ear” if he were still alive.

From Seattle Times

Something as innocent as a smiley face emoji could trigger what’s known as a parasocial relationship, meaning the follower imagines he or she knows or is friends with the influencer.

From Seattle Times

Webster imagines her ancestor’s work as a milkmaid, the trial and her ultimate indenture on a plantation in Maryland where Molly met Bana’ka, the enslaved man who became the father of her children.

From Washington Post

Interrupting his trial, the jazzy “Come Up to My Office” imagines Frank wholly out of character as a suave roué.

From Washington Post

She imagines even chicken will soon be off the menu.

From BBC