mimesis

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 11, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>mimesis</strong> &#149; \muh-MEE-sis\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imitation">imitation</a>, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mimicry">mimicry</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"Art preserves, through <em>mimesis</em>, what no longer exists, offers a permanent record of impermanent reality—in this way, it can be not only a comfort but a remedy for grief." — <a href="https://forward.com/culture/448518/the-extremely-problematic-and-incredibly-harsh-impact-of-coronavirus-on/">Jackson Arn, <em>The Forward</em> (New York), 13 June 2020</a></p> <p>"You know how everyone always says that life imitates art, well the Greeks had a word for that: <em>mimesis</em>. <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mimetic">Mimetic</a> words imitate, or mimic, ideas." — <a href="https://www.swoknews.com/styles/wannabe-wired-whats-in-a-meme/article_3667a03f-d5a4-5619-978c-5d23d2ea7ed7.html">Gary Reddin, <em>The Lawton (Oklahoma) Constitution</em>, 20 May 2020</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Mimesis</em> is a term with an undeniably classical pedigree. Originally a Greek word, it has been used in aesthetic or artistic theory to refer to the attempt to imitate or reproduce reality since Plato and Aristotle. <em>Mimesis</em> is derived from the Greek verb <em>mimeisthai</em>, which means "to imitate" and which itself comes from <em>mimos</em>, meaning "mime." The English word <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mime">mime</a></em> also descends from <em>mimos</em>, as do <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mimic">mimic</a></em> and <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mimicry">mimicry</a></em>. And wh