Where does “imagination” come from?
Imagination comes from Middle English ymaginacioun, from Old French imaginacion, from Latin imaginatio, derived from imago meaning image or likeness, ultimately from the prefix in- combined with Proto-Indo-European ne.
imagination (English): The image-making power of the mind; the act of...
Definitions
- The image-making power of the mind; the act of...
Ancestry of “imagination”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ymaginacioun | The ability to perceive images in the mind;... |
| 2 | Old French | imaginacion | — |
| 3 | Latin | imāginātiō | mental image, fancy, imagination |
| 4 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 5 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 6 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 7 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 8 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 9 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 10 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |