Ma'anar ƙamus na kalmar "maimaitawa" shine aikin kwafi ko kwafi wani abu, ko tsarin sakewa ko sake ƙirƙira wani takamaiman sakamako ko gwaji don tabbatarwa ko gwada ingancinsa. A cikin ilmin halitta, yana nufin tsarin yin kwafin DNA, inda tantanin halitta ke yin ainihin kwafin kwayoyin halittarsa kafin rarraba tantanin halitta. A cikin bincike da nazarce-nazarcen kimiyya, maimaitawa yana nufin tsarin maimaita gwaji ko nazari don sanin ko za a iya samun sakamako iri ɗaya, ta yadda za a tabbatar da ainihin abin da aka gano.