'imitative' originates from Latin, specifically the verb 'imitari' (and noun 'imitatio'), where the root 'imit-' meant 'copy' or 'imitation'.

'imitari' passed into Old French as 'imiter' and into Middle English as 'imitaten/imitate', from which the adjective 'imitative' was formed with the suffix '-ive', and the adverb 'imitatively' was later formed with '-ly'.

Initially related directly to the action 'to copy' (Latin sense), it evolved into an adjective meaning 'tending to copy' and then into the adverb meaning 'in a copying manner'.