MIMICRY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does mimicry mean? 

• MIMICRY (noun)
  The noun MIMICRY has 2 senses:

1. the act of mimicking; imitative behavior

2. the resemblance of an animal species to another species or to natural objects; provides concealment and protection from predators

  Familiarity information: MIMICRY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MIMICRY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of mimicking; imitative behavior

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

apery; mimicry

Hypernyms ("mimicry" is a kind of...):

impersonation; personation (imitating the mannerisms of another person)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mimicry"):

mockery; parody; takeoff (humorous or satirical mimicry)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The resemblance of an animal species to another species or to natural objects; provides concealment and protection from predators

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("mimicry" is a kind of...):

imitation (copying (or trying to copy) the actions of someone else)

 Context examples 

Cutaneous melanin pigment plays a critical role in camouflage, mimicry, social communication, and protection against harmful effects of solar radiation.

(Melanogenesis Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

“The development of decellularized plants for scaffolding opens up the potential for a new branch of science that investigates the mimicry between plant and animal.”

(Human Heart Cells Grown on Spinach Leaves, VOA News)