English Explanatory Dictionary

mimic

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To imitate, especially in order to ridicule.
  2. To take on the appearance of another, for protection or camouflage.
noun
  1. A person who practices mimicry; especially:
  2. A mime.
  3. A comic who does impressions.
  4. An entity that mimics another entity, such as a disease that resembles another disease in its signs and symptoms; see the great imitator.
  5. An imitation.
  6. A fictional monster able to disguise itself as an inanimate object, commonly a treasure chest, often with the intent of luring adventurers into a trap.
adj
  1. Pertaining to mimicry; imitative.
  2. Mock, pretended.
  3. Imitative; characterized by resemblance to other forms; applied to crystals which by twinning resemble simple forms of a higher grade of symmetry.

Pronunciation

/ˈmɪm.ɪk/ en-us-mimic.ogg

Word forms

mimic mimics mimicking mimicked mimick

Etymology

From Latin mīmicus, from Ancient Greek μῑμικός (mīmikós, “belonging to mimes”), from μῖμος (mîmos, “imitator, actor”); see mime.

Synonyms

mimicker impressionist

Related words

mime mimicable mimicry

Derived words

amimic automimic biomimic mimical mimic beetle mimic function mimic glass lizard mimicism mimic octopus mimic thrush Moloney's mimic bat peptidomimic phosphomimic zoomimic

Translations

Bulgarian: имитатор Finnish: miimikko Hebrew: חקיין Irish: aithriseoir Norman: d'ganneux Portuguese: mímico Punjabi: ਸਾਂਗੀ Russian: мим Russian: имита́тор
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