Meaning and Origin
What does the name Mirage mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
Origin and Meaning of Mirage
User Submitted Origins
French
61%
Arabic
31%
Aztec (Nahuatl)
3%
Hausa
3%
English
3%
User Submitted Meanings
- A submission from Pennsylvania, U.S. says the name Mirage means "Hallucinations an object appears in a desert but isn't really there".
- According to a user from Colorado, U.S., the name Mirage is of French origin and means "The definition of Mirage is an optical illusion, something you believe you see but isn't really there".
International Interest
Also see international interest
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
noun Mi`rage"
An optical effect, sometimes seen on the ocean, but more frequently in deserts, due to total reflection of light at the surface common to two strata of air differently heated. The reflected image is seen, commonly in an inverted position, while the real object may or may not be in sight. When the surface is horizontal, and below the eye, the appearance is that of a sheet of water in which the object is seen reflected; when the reflecting surface is above the eye, the image is seen projected against the sky. The fata Morgana and looming are species of mirage.
Etymology: F., fr. mirer to look at carefully, to aim, se mirer to look at one's self in a glass, to reflect, to be reflected, LL. mirare to look at. See Mirror
Other Dictionary Sources
- Something illusory and unattainable
- An optical illusion in which atmospheric refraction by a layer of hot air distorts or inverts reflections of distant objects
Wiktionary
Borrowed from French mirage.
- An optical phenomenon in which light is refracted through a layer of hot air close to the ground, giving the appearance of there being refuge in the distance.
- Hypernym: optical illusion
- Hyponym: Fata Morgana
- (figuratively) An illusion.
mirage was also found in the following language(s): French