Image and Imagine Come From the Same Word
An image is a visual representation. The verb imagine means to form an image in the mind, using the same Latin root.
An image is a visual representation, or the impression a person or organisation gives. *Imagine* is built directly on it: to imagine is to form an image internally, and Latin *imaginari* meant exactly that. The public-relations sense — a company's image — is a twentieth-century extension of the same idea, a picture held in other people's minds. The related *imitate* comes from the same root, meaning to make a likeness.
- A visual representation. *A satellite image.*
- A public impression. *The brand's image.*
- A mental picture. *An image came to mind.*
- Imagine — to form an image. *Imagine it.*
- Imagery — collective images. *Vivid imagery.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | image | A clear image. |
| Plural | images | Two images. |
| Verb | imagine | Imagine that. |
| Noun | imagery | Rich imagery. |
| Latin | imago | A likeness. |
- The image was taken from orbit.Picture.
- The scandal damaged their image.Reputation.
- Imagine is built from image.Etymology.
The imago family
- Image — a likeness
- Imagine — to make a likeness in the mind
- Imagery — the collection of images in a work
- Imitate — to make a likeness of
- Imago — in biology, the adult form of an insect
Old French *image*, from Latin *imago*, a likeness or copy, related to *imitari*, to imitate.
Are image and imagine related?
Yes. To imagine is to form an image in the mind, and both come from Latin imago.
What is an imago in biology?
The final adult stage of an insect after metamorphosis, from the same Latin word meaning a likeness or form.