ˌiməˈtāshən, attrib | ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Latin imitation-, imitatio, from imitatus + -ion-, -io -ion
1. : an act or instance of imitating : an assumption of or mimicking of the form of something that serves or is regarded as a model
imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
the imitation of leaves by certain butterflies is unbelievably perfect
a style developed in imitation of classic models
2. : something that is made or produced as a copy : an artificial likeness : counterfeit
risible imitations of his schoolfellows
a convincing imitation of colonial architecture
3.
a. : a literary work or composition designed to reproduce the style or manner of another author
b. : a free translation or an adaptation or parody especially when involving transformation of cultural, social, or temporal situation
4. : the repetition in a voice part of the melodic theme, phrase, or motive previously found in another part
5.
a. in Platonism : the process through which a sensible object is informed by or participates in a subsistent idea or transcendent archetype — compare participation
b. in Aristotelianism
(1) : the artistic simulation of anything as it is actually
(2) : its representation as it is ideally or as it ought to be
6.
a. : the execution of an act supposedly as a direct response to the perception of another person performing the act
b. : the assumption of the modes of behavior observed in other individuals