im·ag·i·na·tion

[ih-maj-uh-ney-shuhn]
noun
1.
the faculty of imagining, or of forming mental images or concepts of what is not actually present to the senses.
2.
the action or process of forming such images or concepts.
3.
the faculty of producing ideal creations consistent with reality, as in literature, as distinct from the power of creating illustrative or decorative imagery. Compare fancy ( def 2 ).
4.
the product of imagining; a conception or mental creation, often a baseless or fanciful one.
5.
ability to face and resolve difficulties; resourcefulness: a job that requires imagination.
6.
Psychology. the power of reproducing images stored in the memory under the suggestion of associated images (reproductive imagination) or of recombining former experiences in the creation of new images directed at a specific goal or aiding in the solution of problems (creative imagination)
7.
(in Kantian epistemology) synthesis of data from the sensory manifold into objects by means of the categories.
8.
Archaic. a plan, scheme, or plot.
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English < Latin imāginātiōn- (stem of imāginātiō) fancy, equivalent to imāgināt(us) past participle of imāginārī to imagine (imāgin-, stem of imāgō image + -ātus -ate1) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms
i·mag·i·na·tion·al, adjective
non·im·ag·i·na·tion·al, adjective

Synonyms
3. See fancy. 5. ingenuity, enterprise, thought.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Imagination is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
imagination (ɪˌmædʒɪˈneɪʃən) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  the faculty or action of producing ideas, esp mental images of what is not present or has not been experienced
2.  mental creative ability
3.  the ability to deal resourcefully with unexpected or unusual problems, circumstances, etc
4.  Compare fancy (in romantic literary criticism, esp that of S. T. Coleridge) a creative act of perception that joins passive and active elements in thinking and imposes unity on the poetic material
 
imagi'national
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

imagination

see figment of one's imagination.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
And to imagine that it does not create its own set of problems is true
  imagination.
The only toys that will keep kids occupied are the ones that they can use their
  imagination to create or design things with.
It was one of those moments when you realize the power of fear and the
  imagination.
They extol the increasing stability of the economy, the growing power of
  consumers, the energy and imagination of entrepreneurs.
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