n.
Pronunciation: ˌ i-m ə - ' t ā -sh ə n
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 : an act or instance of imitating
2 : something produced as a copy : COUNTERFEIT
3 : a literary work designed to reproduce the style of another author
4 : the repetition by one voice of a melody, phrase, or motive stated earlier in the composition by a different voice
5 : the quality of an object in possessing some of the nature or attributes of a transcendent idea
6 : the assumption of behavior observed in other individuals