ĭmĭtor — Lewis & Short
ĭmĭtor, ātus, 1 (archaic
I inf. pres. imitarier, Plaut. Capt. 3, 1, 25; Lucr. 5, 1377), v. freq. a. dep. [root im-, cf. aemulus], to imitate.
I To represent, to express, copy, portray (class.):
summum illum luctum penicillo,to portray, Cic. Or. 22, 74; cf.:
oris (Coae Veneris) pulchritudo reliqui corporis imitandi spem auferebat,id. Off. 3, 2, 10:
aut Ialysi aut Coae Veneris pulchritudinem,id. Or. 2, 5; id. Brut. 18, 70:
chirographum,id. N. D. 3, 30, 74; id. Fam. 9, 20, 2:
faber ungues Exprimet et molles imitabitur aere capillos,Hor. A. P. 33; cf.:
argillā quidvis imitabitur udā,id. Ep. 2, 2, 8:
hunc in persona lenonis,Cic. Rosc. Com. 7, 20:
populi speciem et nomen,id. Rep. 3, 33:
antiquitatem,id. Brut. 36, 137; cf.:
heroum veteres casus fictosque luctus imitari atque adumbrare dicendo,id. de Or. 5, 47, 380:
imitans, ut est mos, facta et dicta vivi,Suet. Vesp. 19:
sine imitandorum carminum actu ludiones,not expressing by gesticulation, Liv. 7, 2, 4:
gaudia falsa,Tib. 3, 6, 33; cf.
maestitiam,Tac. A. 1, 24:
quaecumque (pictura) imitata figuram est,Juv. 6, 341.— Poet.: putre solum imitamur arando, i. e. to make loose or friable, Verg. G. 2, 204:
robore duro Stipitibus ferrum sudibusque imitantur obustis,replace, substitute, supply the place of, id. A. 11, 894:
pocula vitea fermento atque sorbis,id. G. 3, 380; cf.:
diuturni mores consensu utentium comprobati legem imitantur,Just. Inst. 1, 2, 9. —
II To imitate, to act like, copy after, seek to resemble, counterfeit something (so most freq.):
imitabor nepam,Plaut. Cas. 2, 8, 7:
imitabor ergo Aratum, qui magnis de rebus dicere exordiens, a Jove incipiendum putat,Cic. Rep. 1, 36; cf.:
imitor Archytam,id. ib. 1, 38:
Platonem,id. Ac. 1, 3, 10:
aliquem imitando effingere atque exprimere,id. de Or. 2, 22, 90; cf.:
quem (eloquentem) si imitari atque exprimere non possumus,id. Or. 5, 19:
quem postea imitati sunt multi, aequavit nemo,Plin. 35, 11, 40, § 126:
ipsi sibi imitandi fuerunt,Cic. Or. 53, 177:
qui maxime imitandus, et solus imitandus est,Quint. 10, 2, 24; cf.:
tu mihi maxime imitabilis, maxime imitandus videbaris,Plin. Ep. 7, 20, 4:
noster ille amicus, dignus huic ad imitandum,Cic. Rep. 1, 1 Mos.:
populi consuetudinem,id. ib. 2, 20:
non dicam plura, ne, in quo te objurgem, id ipsum videar imitari,id. Fam. 3, 8, 6:
in adeundis periculis consuetudo imitanda medicorum est,id. Off. 1, 24, 83:
quod faciendum imitandumque est omnibus, ut, etc.,id. Lael. 19, 70:
factum praeclarum expositum ad imitandum,id. Phil. 2, 44, 114:
in qua (sc. domo) sollicitas imitatur janua portas,resembles, Juv. 7, 42.!*?
a Act. form ĭmĭto, āre (anteclass.): si malos imitabo, Liv. Andr. ap. Non. 473, 22 (Fragm. Trag. v. 1 Rib.):
tuum opus nemo imitare potest,Varr. ib. 21.—
b ĭmĭtātus, a, um, in pass. signif.:
imitata et efficta simulacra,Cic. Univ. 3, 6:
cum sint alii veri affectus, alii ficti et imitati,Quint. 11, 3, 61:
nec abest imitata voluptas,Ov. M. 9, 481; Avien. Fab. 5, 17.