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mimesis was our Word of the Day on 01/04/2014. Hear the podcast!
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Recent Examples of mimesis from the Web
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And there’s the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea, an account of something far kinkier than misperception: a work of art not merely resembling a human being but actually coming to life, the ultimate sculpture as mimesis.
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Therein lies the danger of Trumpian mimesis: Emulating the president means embodying his worldview, however briefly or satirically.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mimesis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Mimesis is a term with an undeniably classical pedigree. Originally a Greek word, it has been used in aesthetic or artistic theory to refer to the attempt to imitate or reproduce reality since Plato and Aristotle. "Mimesis" is derived from the Greek verb mimeisthai, which means "to imitate" and which itself comes from mimos, meaning "mime." The English word mime also descends from "mimos," as do "mimic" and "mimicry." And what about "mimeograph," the name of the duplicating machine that preceded the photocopier? We can't be absolutely certain what the folks at the A. B. Dick Company had in mind when they came up with "Mimeograph" (a trademark name that has since expired), but influence from "mimos" and its descendants certainly seems probable.
Origin and Etymology of mimesis
Late Latin, from Greek mimēsis, from mimeisthai
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: circa 1586
in the meaning defined above
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See words that rhyme with mimesis Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mimesis
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