im·i·tate
(ĭḿĭ-tāt́)
[Latin imitārī, imitāt-.]
transitive verb: -tat·ed, -tat·ing, -tates.
- To use or follow as a model.
- To copy the actions, appearance, mannerisms, or speech of; mimic: amused friends by imitating the teachers.
- To copy or use the style of: brushwork that imitates Rembrandt.
- To copy exactly; reproduce.
- To appear like; resemble.
derivatives
- iḿi·tátor
- noun
synonyms:
imitate, copy, mimic, ape, parody, simulate These verbs mean to follow something or someone taken as a model. To imitate is to act like or follow a pattern or style set by another: “Art imitates Nature” (Richard Franck) To copy is to duplicate an original as precisely as possible: “His grandfather had spent a laborious life-time in Rome, copying the Old Masters for a generation which lacked the facile resource of the camera” (Edith Wharton) To mimic is to make a close imitation, often with an intent to ridicule: “fresh carved cedar, mimicking a glade/Of palm and plaintain” (John Keats) To ape is to follow another's lead slavishly but often with an absurd result: “Thosestates of mind do not come from aping an alien culture” (John Russell) To parody is either to imitate with comic effect or to attempt a serious imitation and fail: “All these peculiaritieshave been imitated by his admirers and parodied by his assailants” (Thomas Macaulay) To simulate is to feign or falsely assume the appearance or character of something: “I … lay there simulating death” (W.H. Hudson)
