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Origin and history of *aim-

*aim-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to copy." 

It might form all or part of: emulate; emulation; emulous; image; imaginary; imagination; imaginative; imagine; imago; imitable; imitate; imitative; imitator; inimitable.

It might also be the source of: Latin imago "image," aemulus "emulous," imitari "to copy, portray, imitate;" Hittite himma- "imitation, substitute."

Entries linking to *aim-

emulate(v.)

"to strive to equal or excel in qualities or actions," 1580s, a back-formation from emulation, or else from Latin aemulatus, past participle of aemulari "to rival." Related: Emulated; emulating; emulable; emulative.

emulation(n.)

"effort to equal or excel in qualities or actions that one admires in another or others; imitative rivalry," 1550s, from French émulation (13c.) and directly from Latin aemulationem (nominative aemulatio) "rivalry, emulation, competition," noun of action from past-participle stem of aemulari "to rival, strive to excel," from aemulus "striving, rivaling" (also as a noun, "a rival," fem. aemula), from Proto-Italic *aimo-, from PIE *aim-olo, suffixed form of root *aim- "copy" (from PIE root *aim- "to copy").

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image
c. 1200, "piece of statuary; artificial representation that looks like a person or thing," from Old French image "image, likeness; figure, drawing, portrait; reflection; statue," earlier imagene (11c.), from Latin imaginem (nominative imago) "copy, imitation, likeness; statue, pi
imagination
"faculty of the mind which forms and manipulates images," mid-14c., ymaginacion, from Old French imaginacion "concept, mental picture; hallucination," from Latin imaginationem (nominative imaginatio) "imagination, a fancy," noun of action from past participle stem of imaginari "t
imagine
mid-14c., "to form a mental image of," from Old French imaginer "sculpt, carve, paint; decorate, embellish" (13c.), from Latin imaginari "to form a mental picture, picture to oneself, imagine" (also, in Late Latin imaginare "to form an image of, represent"), from imago "an image,
affect
pretense of," 1660s, earlier "to assume the character of (someone)," 1590s; originally in English in a now-obsolete sense of "aim...aspire to, desire" (early 15c.), from Old French afecter (15c.), later affecter, from Latin affectare "to strive after, aim...
scope
[extent] 1530s, "room to act, free play," also literal (1550s), "room to move in, space;" from Italian scopo "aim, purpose..., object; thing aimed at, mark, target," from Latin scopus, from Greek skopos "aim, target, object of attention;" also "watcher...  It is attested from 1550s as "that which is aimed at or desired," hence "ultimate aim;" the classical sense of "a...mark to aim or shoot at" was in English by 1560s but now is obsolete....
stochastic
1660s, "pertaining to conjecture," from Greek stokhastikos "able to guess, conjecturing," from stokhazesthai "to guess, aim...at, conjecture," from stokhos "a guess, aim, fixed target, erected pillar for archers to shoot at," which is perhaps from...
humor
Fowler ["Modern English Usage," 1926] may be of use: HUMOR: motive/aim: discovery; province: human nature; method/means:...; audience: the intelligent SATIRE: motive/aim: amendment; province: morals & manners; method/means: accentuation;...; audience: victim & bystander INVECTIVE: motive/aim: discredit; province: misconduct; method/means: direct statement...: the respectable SARDONIC: motive/aim: self-relief; province: adversity; method/means: pessimism; audience: the self...
pomp
c. 1300, "ostentation and display," especially on parade, from Old French pompe "pomp, magnificence" (13c.) and directly from Latin pompa "procession, pomp," from Greek pompē "solemn procession, display, escort," literally "a sending," from pempein "to send," which is of unknown
record
c. 1200, recorden, "to repeat, reiterate, recite; rehearse, get by heart" (senses now obsolete), from Old French recorder "tell, relate, repeat, recite, report, make known" (12c.) and directly from Latin recordari "remember, call to mind, think over, be mindful of," from re-, her
Pluto
Roman god of the underworld, early 14c., from Latin Pluto, Pluton, from Greek Ploutōn "god of wealth," from ploutos "wealth, riches," probably originally "overflowing," from PIE root *pleu- "to flow." The alternative Greek name or epithet of Hades in his function as the god of we

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