Imitation

How to spell imitation

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce imitation

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does imitation mean?

1. nounThe act of copying someone or something, or a copy produced in this way.
2. adjectiveMade to resemble a genuine material or product but not the real thing; artificial.

Imitation in a sentence

• noun

  The comedian's imitation of the prime minister was uncanny.

• adjective

  The sofa was covered in imitation leather to keep the price down.

• noun

  Learning a new accent often begins with careful imitation of native speakers.

• adjective

  She wore an imitation pearl necklace to the rehearsal.

Where does imitation come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin imitationem, the accusative form of imitatio, meaning 'a copying' or 'a mimicking'. That noun was built on the verb imitari, which meant 'to copy, to portray, or to mimic', and which is thought to share an ancient root with imago, the Latin word for 'image' or 'likeness'. English took the word in during the late 1300s, borrowing it through Old French imitation, at first for the act of following an example or model. Over time it broadened to cover not just the act but the thing produced, so that an imitation could be an artificial copy of something genuine, as in imitation pearls. The same imit- root still surfaces in 'imitate' and 'inimitable', and remembering that single root spelled i-m-i-t helps keep the two unstressed i sounds in place when writing the longer word.

How the word is built

• imit- (from Latin imitari: to copy)
• -ation (noun-forming suffix denoting an act or result)