imago

American  

[ih-mey-goh, ih-mah-] / ɪˈmeɪ goʊ, ɪˈmɑ- /

noun

plural

imagoes, imagines

1. Entomology. an adult insect.

2. Psychoanalysis. an idealized concept of a loved one, formed in childhood and retained unaltered in adult life.

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imago British  

/ ɪˈmeɪɡəʊ /

noun

1. an adult sexually mature insect produced after metamorphosis

2. psychoanal an idealized image of another person, usually a parent, acquired in childhood and carried in the unconscious in later life

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imago Scientific  

/ ĭ-mā′gō /

plural

imagoes

1. An insect in its sexually mature adult stage after metamorphosis.

2. Compare larva nymph pupa

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Etymology

Origin of imago

1790–1800; < New Latin, Latin imāgō; image

Example Sentences

We are the imago Dei; we are made in the image of God.

From Washington Times • Jun. 11, 2023

In the Butterfly Garden, I read about metamorphosis, from egg to imago.

From New York Times • Dec. 2, 2019

It explores various interpretations of the Eucharist, human origins and the concept of imago Dei.

From New York Times • Oct. 13, 2016

In fact, most versions of the tradition considered the two bodies equally authentic: the effigy or imago was looked on as an emanation of the once-living body rather than its representation.

From The Guardian • Apr. 23, 2010

It’s hard for me to imagine myself as a grown-up, one of those imago things.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper