n 1 a  :  the optical counterpart of an object produced by an optical device (as a lens or mirror) or an electronic device - see REAL IMAGE VIRTUAL IMAGE   b  :  a likeness of an object produced on a photographic material  2  :  a mental picture or impression of something <we all have a conscious and unconscious physical of ourselves -T. I. Rubin> : as  a (1) :  a mental conception held in common by members of a group and symbolic of a basic attitude and orientation <the compassionate small-town family doctor, an that the AMA deeply admires -Current Biog.>  (2) :  an idealized conception of a person and esp. a parent that is formed by an infant or child, is retained in the unconscious, and influences behavior in later life <the overwhelming influence of the mother -John Messenger>  - called also imago   b  :  the memory of a perception in psychology that is modified by subsequent experience : also  :  the representation of the source of a stimulus on a receptor mechanism
, vb, im*aged  im*ag*ing vt  1  :  to call up a mental picture of  :  IMAGINE  2  :  to create a representation of : also  :  to form an image of <the liver was imaged>  <the animals were anesthetized and imaged with a gamma camera -R. T. Proffitt et al>  vi  :  to form an image .
 
 
 
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