Mimic

Mimic

Verb / Noun / Adjective · /ˈmɪm.ɪk/

Definition

(Verb) to imitate closely, especially for comic effect or to deceive; to copy the appearance or actions of; (Noun) a person who imitates others, especially for entertainment; an animal able to imitate another species' appearance or behaviour; (Adjective) relating to mimicry or imitation.

Origin

From Latin mimicus (of or relating to mime), from Greek mimikos (imitative), from mimos (mime, imitator). The same root gives mime, mimicry, and mimesis. In biology, mimicry (the phenomenon by which one species evolves to resemble another for protection or predation) was named after the Batesian mimicry described by Henry Walter Bates following his observations in the Amazon in the 1840s–1860s.