imitate vs mime

imitate is not a noun while mime is a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
imitate	No	No	Yes	No
mime	Yes	No	Yes	No

As verbs, mime is a hyponym of imitate; that is, mime is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than imitate:

Other hyponyms of imitate include conform to, follow, mock, take off, mimic, model, pattern, follow, take after, emulate.

imitate (noun)	mime (noun)
	a performance using gestures and body movements without words
	an actor who communicates entirely by gesture and facial expression

imitate (verb)	mime (verb)
reproduce someone's behavior or looks	act out without words but with gestures and bodily movements only
make a reproduction or copy of	imitate (a person or manner), especially for satirical effect
appear like, as in behavior or appearance