noun /ɪˈmeɪɡəʊ,ɪˈmɑːɡəʊ/
, 1973: ‘But still,’ he said to himself, drawing the metamorphoses of a red admiral, egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and imago on his pad, ‘what shall I say to him when we meet?’ — Patrick OBrian, HMS Surprise
b) An idealised concept of a loved one, formed in childhood and retained unaltered in adult life.
Wikipedia foundation.