*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of imago

From Latin imāgō. Doublet of image. Compare typologically a Russian term for coordinate larva: личи́нка (ličínka) (akin to лик (lik)).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

The final developmental stage of an insect after undergoing metamorphosis. · An idealised concept of a loved one, formed in childhood and retained unconsciously into adult life, the basis for the psychological formation of personality archetypes.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin imāgō. Doublet of image. Compare typologically a Russian term for coordinate larva: личи́нка (ličínka) (akin to лик (lik)).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "imāgō"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin imāgō"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "image"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of image"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "imāgō",
      "imago#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "image",
      "image#English"
    ],
    [
      "larva",
      "larva#English"
    ],
    [
      "личи́нка",
      "личинка#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "лик",
      "лик#Russian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The final developmental stage of an insect after undergoing metamorphosis.",
        "An idealised concept of a loved one, formed in childhood and retained unconsciously into adult life, the basis for the psychological formation of personality archetypes."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "e8aa36c80b11be226092c78ac98871b3d0e99114a82f3256c82e56b6d0bfcac3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f425ac99fe0c6256ba54b1d1ba3b9c8151f144a64d24c0a8cbcdfc3e5f8b0047",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 409249
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for imago →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-aW1hZ28