1. The act of something being done, or made in resemblance of something else; a likeness; also, a counterfeit; such as, an imitation of legal money.
2. In music, the repetition of a phrase, or subject, in another voice or a different key.
3. In biology, mimicry of an environment, or of another animal, plant, etc., for concealment or protection.
4. Etymology: from Old French imitacion; from Latin imitationem, imitatio, "imitation"; from imitari, "to copy, to portray, to imitate".

Related to Latin imago, from "artificial representation that looks like a person or thing", from Old French image, earlier imagene (11th century), from Latin imaginem, imago, "copy, statue, picture, idea, appearance"; from the stem of imitari "to copy, to imitate".

Biomimetics Index.