imitor

Latin

Etymology

Deponent frequentative verb derived from Proto-Italic *imā, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eym- (“to imitate”); same source as Latin imāgō f (“a copy, image”), Latin aemulus (“envious, rivaling”, adjective) and Hittite 𒄭𒅎𒈠𒀸 c (ḫi-im-ma-aš /⁠ḫimmaš⁠/, “substitute, imitation”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈɪ.mɪ.tɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈiː.mi.tor]

Verb

imitor (present infinitive imitārī or imitārier, perfect active imitātus sum); first conjugation, deponent

1. to represent, express, portray
2. to imitate, act like, copy after, seek to resemble, counterfeit

Conjugation

   Conjugation of imitor (first conjugation, deponent)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	imitor		imitāris, imitāre		imitātur		imitāmur		imitāminī		imitantur
	imperfect	imitābar		imitābāris, imitābāre		imitābātur		imitābāmur		imitābāminī		imitābantur
	future	imitābor		imitāberis, imitābere		imitābitur		imitābimur		imitābiminī		imitābuntur
	perfect	imitātus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	imitātus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	imitātus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	imiter		imitēris, imitēre		imitētur		imitēmur		imitēminī		imitentur
	imperfect	imitārer		imitārēris, imitārēre		imitārētur		imitārēmur		imitārēminī		imitārentur
	perfect	imitātus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	imitātus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		imitāre		—		—		imitāminī		—
	future	—		imitātor		imitātor		—		—		imitantor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		imitārī, imitārier1			—			imitāns			—
future		imitātūrum esse			—			imitātūrus			imitandus
perfect		imitātum esse			—			imitātus			—
future perfect		imitātum fore			—			—			—
perfect potential		imitātūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		imitandī		imitandō		imitandum		imitandō		imitātum		imitātū

¹The present passive infinitive in -ier is a rare poetic form which is attested.

Derived terms

• imitābilis
• imitāmen
• imitāmentum
• imitātiō
• imitātīvus
• imitātor
• imitātōrius
• imitātrīx
• imitātus

Descendants

• → Asturian: imitar
• → Catalan: imitar
• ⇒ Latin: imitātus
  • → English: imitate
• → French: imiter
• → Galician: imitar
• → Italian: imitare
• → Piedmontese: imité
• → Portuguese: imitar
• → Romanian: imita
• → Spanish: imitar

From *reimitor:

• Galician: arremedar
• Portuguese: arremedar
• Spanish: remedar

References

• “imitor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “imitor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “imitor”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • (1) to make a lifelike natural representation of a thing (used of the artist); (2) to be lifelike (of a work of art): veritatem imitari (Div. 1. 13. 23)