Imago
/ɪˈmeɪɡoʊ/noun
A final, mature form or idealized mental image; in biology, the adult stage of an insect.
Did you know?In Roman culture, an imago was a wax ancestral mask used in funeral processions, so the word sat right at the edge of portrait, death, and lineage.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*aim-
“To copy or resemble.”
Latin
Latin
imāgo
“An image, likeness, portrait, or ancestral mask.”
Late Latin
Latin
imāgō
“A mental image or representation; also a reflection or copy.”
Middle English
English
image
“A likeness or representation, especially in visual form.”
Modern English
English
imago
“The adult, winged stage of an insect; also a final developed form or idealized image.”