Lewis & Short

ĭmĭtor, ātus, 1 (archaic inf. pres. imitarier, Plaut. Capt. 3, 1, 25; Lucr. 5, 1377), v. freq. a. dep. [root im-, cf. aemulus], to imitate.

  1. I. To represent, to express, copy, portray (class.): summum illum luctum penicillo, to portray, Cic. Or. 22, 74; cf.: oris (Coae Veneris) pulchritudo reliqui corporis imitandi spem auferebat, id. Off. 3, 2, 10: aut Ialysi aut Coae Veneris pulchritudinem, id. Or. 2, 5; id. Brut. 18, 70: chirographum, id. N. D. 3, 30, 74; id. Fam. 9, 20, 2: faber ungues Exprimet et molles imitabitur aere capillos, Hor. A. P. 33; cf.: argillā quidvis imitabitur udā, id. Ep. 2, 2, 8: hunc in persona lenonis, Cic. Rosc. Com. 7, 20: populi speciem et nomen, id. Rep. 3, 33: antiquitatem, id. Brut. 36, 137; cf.: heroum veteres casus fictosque luctus imitari atque adumbrare dicendo, id. de Or. 5, 47, 380: imitans, ut est mos, facta et dicta vivi, Suet. Vesp. 19: sine imitandorum carminum actu ludiones, not expressing by gesticulation, Liv. 7, 2, 4: gaudia falsa, Tib. 3, 6, 33; cf. maestitiam, Tac. A. 1, 24: quaecumque (pictura) imitata figuram est, Juv. 6, 341.
    Poet.: putre solum imitamur arando, i. e. to make loose or friable, Verg. G. 2, 204: robore duro Stipitibus ferrum sudibusque imitantur obustis, replace, substitute, supply the place of, id. A. 11, 894: pocula vitea fermento atque sorbis, id. G. 3, 380; cf.: diuturni mores consensu utentium comprobati legem imitantur, Just. Inst. 1, 2, 9.
  2. II. To imitate, to act like, copy after, seek to resemble, counterfeit something (so most freq.): imitabor nepam, Plaut. Cas. 2, 8, 7: imitabor ergo Aratum, qui magnis de rebus dicere exordiens, a Jove incipiendum putat, Cic. Rep. 1, 36; cf.: imitor Archytam, id. ib. 1, 38: Platonem, id. Ac. 1, 3, 10: aliquem imitando effingere atque exprimere, id. de Or. 2, 22, 90; cf.: quem (eloquentem) si imitari atque exprimere non possumus, id. Or. 5, 19: quem postea imitati sunt multi, aequavit nemo, Plin. 35, 11, 40, § 126: ipsi sibi imitandi fuerunt, Cic. Or. 53, 177: qui maxime imitandus, et solus imitandus est, Quint. 10, 2, 24; cf.: tu mihi maxime imitabilis, maxime imitandus videbaris, Plin. Ep. 7, 20, 4: noster ille amicus, dignus huic ad imitandum, Cic. Rep. 1, 1 Mos.: populi consuetudinem, id. ib. 2, 20: non dicam plura, ne, in quo te objurgem, id ipsum videar imitari, id. Fam. 3, 8, 6: in adeundis periculis consuetudo imitanda medicorum est, id. Off. 1, 24, 83: quod faciendum imitandumque est omnibus, ut, etc., id. Lael. 19, 70: factum praeclarum expositum ad imitandum, id. Phil. 2, 44, 114: in qua (sc. domo) sollicitas imitatur janua portas, resembles, Juv. 7, 42.
    Note:
        1. a. Act. form ĭmĭto, āre (anteclass.): si malos imitabo, Liv. Andr. ap. Non. 473, 22 (Fragm. Trag. v. 1 Rib.): tuum opus nemo imitare potest, Varr. ib. 21.
        2. b. ĭmĭtātus, a, um, in pass. signif.: imitata et efficta simulacra, Cic. Univ. 3, 6: cum sint alii veri affectus, alii ficti et imitati, Quint. 11, 3, 61: nec abest imitata voluptas, Ov. M. 9, 481; Avien. Fab. 5, 17.