copying vs imitation

copying and imitation both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
copying	Yes	No	No	No
imitation	Yes	Yes	No	No

As nouns, imitation is a hyponym of copying; that is, imitation is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than copying:

Other hyponyms of copying include duplication, gemination, replication, reproduction.

copying (noun)	imitation (noun)
an act of copying	copying (or trying to copy) the actions of someone else
	something copied or derived from an original
	the doctrine that representations of nature or human behavior should be accurate imitations
	a representation of a person that is exaggerated for comic effect

copying (adjective)	imitation (adjective)
	not genuine or real; being an imitation of the genuine article