imagination

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See also: Imagination

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English ymaginacioun, from Old French imaginacion, ymaginacion, from Latin imāginātiō.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

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imagination (countable and uncountable, plural imaginations)

  1. The image-making power of the mind; the act of mentally creating or reproducing an object not previously perceived; the ability to create such images.
    Imagination is one of the most advanced human faculties.
    • 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 5, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad[1]:
      She removed Stranleigh’s coat with a dexterity that aroused his imagination.
  2. Particularly, construction of false images; fantasizing.
    You think someone's been following you? That's just your imagination.
  3. Creativity; resourcefulness.
    His imagination makes him a valuable team member.
  4. A mental image formed by the action of the imagination as a faculty; something imagined.
    Synonyms: conception, notion, imagining
    • 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Youth and Age”, in The Essayes [], 3rd edition, London: [] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
      And yet the invention of young men, is more lively than that of old; and imaginations stream into their minds better, and, as it were, more divinely.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Further reading

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French

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French Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia fr

Etymology

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Inherited from Middle French, from Old French imaginacion, borrowed from Latin imāginātiōnem.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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imagination f (plural imaginations)

  1. (countable and uncountable) imagination
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Further reading

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Middle French

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Old French imaginacion, borrowed from Latin imāginātiō.

Noun

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imagination f (plural imaginations)

  1. (countable and uncountable) imagination
  2. thought; reflection; idea
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Descendants

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  • French: imagination