Imaginary

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪˈmæd͡ʒɪnəɹi/

Definitions

1. Existing only in the mind or imagination; not real or physically present
2. Existing primarily within the realm of the mind rather than reality, this describes things that are not physically observable or substantively real
3. Conceived or existing only in the mind, without physical reality or tangible presence

Etymology: Descartes meant "imaginary" as an insult. In his 1637 work "La Géométrie," he used the French "imaginaire" to mock the idea that the non-real roots of polynomial equations, such as the square root of a negative number, could count as numbers at all. The label stuck even after mathematicians came to accept these quantities in the 18th century, so a term coined to ridicule them now names a central part of mathematics. The English word itself came from Middle English "ymaginarie" and "ymagynary," borrowed from Latin "imāginārius," meaning "relating to images" or "fancied." That Latin adjective grew from "imāgō," meaning "image," and it also gave English "imagine," so the word is built on the same root as "imagine" plus the suffix "-ary," which marks something as belonging to or characterised by a quality. Its original sense was therefore tied to images formed in the mind, and the meaning of unreal or merely imagined came from that root.

Synonyms: fictitious, illusory, unreal

Antonyms: real, actual