image means A visual or other representation of the external form of something in art.
image is pronounced /ˈɪm.ɪdʒ/.
Why “image” is a great word
A representation of the external form of a person or thing, whether held in the mind, rendered in matter, or encoded as data. From Middle English ymage, from Old French image, from Latin imāgō ("a copy, likeness, image"), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eym- ("to copy, imitate"). Unlike a "picture," which is often a fixed and physical rendering, or "value," which speaks of worth, an image is the more mercurial and encompassing shape of a thing. It is the afterglow of a face on the retina, the carefully curated photograph on a screen, and the tarnished public reputation of a fallen hero. We are haunted and constructed by images, building our selves from reflections that vanish when we turn to look directly at them.
Etymology
From Middle English ymage, borrowed from Old French image, from Latin imāgō (“a copy, likeness, image”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eym-; the same PIE root is the source of imitari (“to copy, imitate”); see imitate. Doublet of imago.
noun
- A visual or other representation of the external form of something in art.e.g.“The Bible forbids the worship of graven images.”
- A visual or other representation of the external form of something in art.; A file on a computer containing a single frame; an image file.
- A mental picture of something not real or not present.
- A statue or idol.
- A file that contains all information needed to produce a live working copy. (See disk image and image copy.)e.g.“Most game console emulators do not come with any ROM images for copyright reasons.”
- A characteristic of a person, group or company etc., style, manner of dress, how one is or wishes to be perceived by others.
- The value a function maps some argument to.e.g.“The number 6 is the image of 3 under f that is defined as f(x) = 2x.”
- The subset of the codomain of a function comprising those elements that are the image of some element of its domain.e.g.“The image of this step function is the set of integers.”
- A form of interference: a weaker "copy" of a strong signal that occurs at a different frequency.
- Show; appearance; cast.e.g.“The face of things a frightful image bears.”
- The collection of focus points of light rays coming from a given object.
verb
- To represent by an image or symbol; to portray.
- To reflect, mirror.e.g.“See’st thou yon river, whose translucent wave,
Forth issuing from the darkness, windeth through
The argent streets o’ th’ City, imaging
The soft inversion of her tremulous Domes,”
- To create an image of.
- To create a complete backup copy of a file system or other entity.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- imagination 85% match — The image-making power of the mind; the act of mentally creating or reproducing an object not previously perceived; the ability to create such images. vs image →
- simulacrum 85% match — A physical image or representation of a deity, person, or thing. vs image →
- reflection 84% match — The act of reflecting or the state of being reflected. vs image →
- semblance 84% match — The outward appearance or form of a person or thing. vs image →
- eidolon 83% match — An image or representation of an idea; a representation of an ideal form; an apparition of some actual or imaginary entity, or of some aspect of reality. vs image →
- evocation 82% match — The act of calling out or forth, or evoking. vs image →
- emblem 82% match — A representative symbol, such as a trademark, a badge or logo. vs image →
- vision 82% match — The sense or ability of sight. vs image →