English → Latin
“imagination” in Latin
cōgitātiōthinking, meditation, reflection; thought; reasoningimāginātiōmental image, fancy, imaginationspeciēsseeing, view, look; spectacle, sight; external appearance, looks; general outline or shape
The English word imagination itself goes back to Latin imāginor, through imāginātiō.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
imagination
cogitatio; but the post-classical imaginatio (Plin., Tac.) or vis imaginandi may be necessary in a philosophical treatise; Krebs, Weber, Uebungsch., p. 264. A mere imagination, species inanis: a creature of the imagination, species or forma menti objecta. To exist in imagination only, in opinione esse (opinatus in past participle is classical).
Contrivance, device, Vid.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for imagination?
- The usual Latin words for “imagination” are cōgitātiō, imāginātiō, speciēs. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.