imagination
/ɪˌmædʒɪˈneɪʃən/
noun
Origin
Latin
imaginari — to picture to oneself
Overview
Meaning Now
- The faculty or action of forming new ideas, images, or concepts of external objects not present to the senses.
- The ability of the mind to be creative or resourceful.
Literal older meaning
the act of forming a mental image
Language path
Latin → Old French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
ymaginacioun
Earliest period
late 14th century
Journey
The term stems from the Latin 'imago' (image). In medieval philosophy, 'imaginatio' was often distinguished from 'fantasia', referring to the mind's ability to retain and manipulate sensory impressions after the initial stimulus had ceased.
Evolution
- Classical Latin
imaginatio
“mental image, conception”
- Old French
imagination
“image, imagination”
- Middle English
ymaginacioun
“the faculty of forming images”
Connections
Word parts
imagin-
root
to represent, to copy
-ation
suffix
process of
Related across languages
French
imagination
Spanish
imaginación
imagination
Explore next
Related to imagination
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.