imitor

ĭmĭtor, ātus, 1 (archaic 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.