English Explanatory Dictionary

imaginary

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Existing only in the imagination.
  2. Having no real part; that part of a complex number which is a multiple of √ (called imaginary unit).
noun
  1. Imagination; fancy.
  2. An imaginary number.
  3. The set of values, institutions, laws, and symbols common to a particular social group and the corresponding society through which people imagine their social whole.

Pronunciation

/ɪˈmæd͡ʒɪnəɹi/ /ɪˈmæd͡ʒɪnɹi/ /ɪˈmæd͡ʒɪˌn(ɛ)ɹi/ En-us-imaginary.ogg

Word forms

imaginary more imaginary most imaginary imaginaries

Etymology

From Middle English ymaginarie, ymagynary, from Latin imāginārius (“relating to images, fancied”), from imāgō, equivalent to imagine + -ary. The mathematical sense derives from René Descartes's use (of the French imaginaire) in 1637, La Geometrie, to ridicule the notion of regarding non-real roots of polynomials as numbers. Although Descartes' usage was derogatory, the designation stuck even after the concept gained acceptance in the 18th century.

Synonyms

all in one's head

Derived words

imaginarily imaginariness imaginarity nonimaginary unimaginary imaginary axis imaginary friend imaginary geometry imaginary lat syndrome imaginary museum imaginary number imaginary part imaginary time imaginary unit purely imaginary → purely imaginary number quater-imaginary

Translations

Afrikaans: imaginêr Basque: irudikari Bulgarian: имагине́рен Czech: imaginární Dutch: imaginair Finnish: imaginaarinen Finnish: imaginaari- Galician: imaxinario German: imaginär Greek: φανταστικός Hungarian: imaginárius Hungarian: képzetes Indonesian: imajiner Latvian: imaginārs Polish: urojona Portuguese: imaginário Russian: мни́мый Spanish: imaginario Swedish: imaginär Tamil: கற்பனை
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