mimicry

mimicry Definition

mimic·ry (mim′ik rē)

noun pl. -·ries

the practice or art, or an instance or way, of mimicking
close resemblance, in color, form, or behavior, of one organism to another or to some object in its environment, as of some insects to the leaves or twigs of plants: it serves to disguise or conceal an organism from a predator or prey

mimicry Synonyms

mime, pretense, mockery; see imitation 2, parody.

mimicry Usage Examples

Preposition: of

ant: The mimicry of ants and beetles by spiders is also, on its face, not easily categorized.

Converse of object

see: Significantly, postcolonial theorists have seen mimicry as bordering on mockery, ' since it can appear to parody whatever it mimics.

Preposition: in

hoverflies: He also acted as second supervisor for a PhD on Batesian mimicry in hoverflies.

Adjective modifier

molecular: These antibodies will be used in the study of molecular mimicry in the context of autoimmune uveitis.
chemical: We are testing the hypothesis that all Maculinea and Microdon species employ chemical mimicry to a varying degree.
vocal: Vocalizations and vocal mimicry in captive harbor seals, Phoca vitulina.
m�llerian: However, more recently analyzed data have indicated that the viceroy is also unpalatable and thus the pair is an example of Müllerian mimicry.
imperfect: Full text available as: PDF Abstract Ideas about the evolution of imperfect mimicry are reviewed.
accurate: He's also a highly entertaining companion, with a gift for accurate mimicry which can make you ache with laughter.

Noun used with modifier

chemical: There is strong indirect, and some direct, evidence that this is achieved through chemical mimicry.
motor: Others think that motor mimicry is primitive empathy and if we could explain imitation we would be on the way to explaining empathy.

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