[mi.rage] n [F, fr. mirer to look at, fr. L mirari] (1837) 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