the ability to form mental images of things or events
"he could still hear her in his imagination"
(medicine) obtaining pictures of the interior of the body
"The doctor ordered an MRI for imaging to check if the fracture had healed properly inside my leg."
The technique or practice of creating images of otherwise invisible aspects of an object, especially of body parts.
"The doctor ordered advanced imaging to get a clear picture of the fracture inside my knee without needing surgery."
In plain English: Imaging is the process of creating pictures from data, like what you see on a computer screen or in medical scans.
"The imaging department in the hospital was busy all night taking scans of patients."
Usage: Use "imaging" as a noun when referring to medical techniques like X-rays or MRIs that create pictures of the inside of the body. Do not use it to describe the general act of forming mental pictures or visualizing something in your mind.
present participle of image
"The artist spent hours imaging her childhood home, trying to capture every creaky floorboard and faded wallpaper pattern from memory."
In plain English: To image something means to create a picture of it using technology like cameras or scanners.
"The doctors are imaging his leg to check for a broken bone."
Usage: When used as a verb, imaging means to form a mental picture or visualize something in your mind. You might say you are imaging the final result before starting a project to help guide your actions.
Derived from the Latin imaginare, meaning to form an image in the mind, this term entered English via Old French around 1500 with the sense of creating mental pictures. It later evolved to denote the technical process of producing visual representations through photography or scanning technologies.