Relating to or occurring in fiction; imaginary rather than real or factual.
From Latin fictio meaning 'a fashioning, shaping', from fingere meaning 'to shape, form, devise'. The word entered English in the 15th century referring to something invented or imagined. The adjective form 'fictional' developed in the 19th century as literature became more clearly distinguished from historical or factual writing.
The word 'fictional' shares its root with 'figure' and 'figment,' revealing that all these concepts involve mental shaping or forming of ideas. This linguistic connection suggests that humans have always understood imagination as a kind of mental sculpture, molding thoughts into new forms just as artists shape clay.
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