n.
Pronunciation: m ə - ' räzh
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from mirer to look at, from Latin mirari
Date: 1803
1 : an optical effect that is sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, that may have the appearance of a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted, and that is caused by the bending or reflection of rays of light by a layer of heated air of varying density
2 : something illusory and unattainable like a mirage
synonyms see DELUSION