imitation

[im-i-tey-shuh n]

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noun

a result or product of imitating.

the act of imitating.

a counterfeit; copy.

a literary composition that imitates the manner or subject of another author or work.

Biology. mimicry.

Psychology. the performance of an act whose stimulus is the observation of the act performed by another person.

Sociology. the copying of patterns of activity and thought of other groups or individuals.

Art.

(in Aristotelian aesthetics) the representation of an object or an action as it ought to be.
the representation of actuality in art or literature.

Music. the repetition of a melodic phrase at a different pitch or key from the original or in a different voice part.

adjective

designed to imitate a genuine or superior article or thing: imitation leather.

Jewelry. noting an artificial gem no part of which is of the true gemstone.Compare assembled, synthetic(def 5).

Nearby words

Origin of imitation

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin imitātiōn- (stem of imitātiō). See imitate, -ion

Related forms

im·i·ta·tion·al, adjectivenon·im·i·ta·tion·al, adjectiveo·ver·im·i·ta·tion, nounpre·im·i·ta·tion, noun

self-im·i·ta·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for imitation

There are Egyptian influences and an imitation Hindu temple.
The Postman Who Built a Palace in France…by Hand|Nina Strochlic|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If imitation is the highest form of flattery, this is high praise.
The Stoner's Guide to the Internet|Abby Haglage|August 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The very faculty of language is, to a large extent, a matter of imitation.
You Can’t ‘Steal’ a Culture: In Defense of Cultural Appropriation|John McWhorter|July 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It used to be that we said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
You Can’t ‘Steal’ a Culture: In Defense of Cultural Appropriation|John McWhorter|July 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But now there is new way to see the matter: Imitation is a kind of dismissal.
You Can’t ‘Steal’ a Culture: In Defense of Cultural Appropriation|John McWhorter|July 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The historical plates published about the same time209 in Germany prove the same lively zeal in imitation.
Engraving: Its Origin, Processes, and History|Henri Delaborde
In imitation of foreign ways, a flat coin was introduced made of lead, and the old sea-shell was abolished as legal currency.
The Kingdom of the Yellow Robe|Ernest Young
A contrast to Diotrephes is found in Demetrius, with the threefold witness to a life so worthy of imitation.
Expositor's Bible: The Epistles of St. John|William Alexander
Again, the setting was not an imitation, but the real thing.
The Christmas Kalends of Provence|Thomas A. Janvier
On the opposite corner, diagonally, have an imitation stump with hatchet sticking in the wood.
Dinners and Luncheons|Paul Pierce

British Dictionary definitions for imitation

imitation

noun

the act, practice, or art of imitating; mimicry

an instance or product of imitating, such as a copy of the manner of a person; impression

a copy or reproduction of a genuine article; counterfeit
(as modifier)imitation jewellery

(in contrapuntal or polyphonic music) the repetition of a phrase or figure in one part after its appearance in another, as in a fugue

a literary composition that adapts the style of an older work to the writer's own purposes

Derived Formsimitational, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for imitation

imitation

c.1400, "emulation; act of copying," from Old French imitacion, from Latin imitationem (nominative imitatio) "a copying, imitation," from past participle stem of imitari "to copy, portray, imitate," from PIE *im-eto-, from root *aim- "copy" (cf. Hittite himma- "imitation, substitute"). Meaning "an artificial likeness" is from c.1600. As an adjective, from 1840.

imitation

noun

adjective

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Origin of imitation

Examples from the Web for imitation

imitation

noun

imitation