Category:Imaginary

Im*ag"i*na*ry, a. Etym: [L. imaginarius: cf. F. imaginaire.]

Defn: Existing only in imagination or fancy; not real; fancied; visionary; ideal. Wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer Imaginary ills and fancied tortures Addison. Imaginary calculus See under Calculus. -- Imaginary expression or quantity (Alg.), an algebraic expression which involves the impossible operation of taking the square root of a negative quantity; as, sq. root-9, a + b sq. root-1. -- Imaginary points, lines, surfaces, etc. (Geom.), points, lines, surfaces, etc., imagined to exist, although by reason of certain changes of a figure they have in fact ceased to have a real existence.

Syn. -- Ideal; fanciful; chimerical; visionary; fancied; unreal; illusive.

imaginary Im*ag"i*na*ry, n. (Alg.)

Defn: An imaginary expression or quantity.