conjure
v.v. to make something appear as if by magic. You also use it when a thought or memory suddenly comes into your mind.
v. to produce or evoke something as if by magic; to call an image or idea to the mind. Often used with the particle 'up' to describe the mental act of imagining or remembering.
The magician seemed to conjure a bird from thin air.
The smell of fresh bread can conjure up vivid memories of my childhood home.
The novelist's prose is so descriptive that it can conjure an entire historical era with just a few carefully chosen details about the local architecture and dress.
From Middle English conjuren, from Old French conjurer, from Latin coniūrō (“I swear together; conspire”), from con- (“with, together”) + iūro (“I swear or take an oath”).
Often used as a phrasal verb 'conjure up' when referring to mental images or memories. Transitive — requires a direct object.
He conjured up to his mind the image.He conjured up the image in his mind.The object should follow the phrasal verb directly; 'to his mind' is redundant or incorrectly placed.