simulacrum

[ sim-yuh-ley-kruh m ]

/ ˌsɪm yəˈleɪ krəm /

a slight, unreal, or superficial likeness or semblance.

an effigy, image, or representation: a simulacrum of Aphrodite.

Origin of simulacrum

1590–1600; < Latin simulācrum likeness, image, equivalent to simulā(re) to simulate + -crum instrumental suffix

Morality demands "the good," and not a simulacrum or make-shift.

Browning as a Philosophical and Religious Teacher |Henry Jones
Indeed, I was not so much impressed by the reality as I had been by the simulacrum in my dream of sunrise in the moon.

A Trip to Venus |John Munro
Surely this is not argument; it is hardly the simulacrum of argument.

The Color Line |William Benjamin Smith
Distinctly outlined on the lid of the coffin was the simulacrum of the figure of a man.

The Raid of The Guerilla and Other Stories |Charles Egbert Craddock

When Dr. Anderson knew that he was dying, he retired into the simulacrum of his father's benn end.

Robert Falconer |George MacDonald

simulacrum

/ (ˌsɪmjʊˈleɪkrəm) /

any image or representation of something

a slight, unreal, or vague semblance of something; superficial likeness

C16: from Latin: likeness, from simulāre to imitate, from similis like