imago

UK: /ɪˈmeɪɡəʊ/ US: (i mā′gō, i mä′-)

Inflections of 'imago' (n):

imagoes

npl

imagines

npl

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

i•ma•go  (i mā′gō, i mä′-), n., pl. -goes, -gi•nes 

(-gə nēz′). 
1. Insects [Entomol.] an adult insect.
2. Psychology an idealized concept of a loved one, formed in childhood and retained unaltered in adult life.

• Neo-Latin, Latin imāgō; see image
• 1790–1800

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

imago / ɪˈmeɪɡəʊ/ noun (imagoes, imagines / ɪˈmædʒəˌniːz/)

1. an adult sexually mature insect produced after metamorphosis
2. an idealized image of another person, usually a parent, acquired in childhood and carried in the unconscious in later life

Etymology: 18th Century: New Latin, from Latin: likeness; see image