MIRAGE


Meaning of MIRAGE in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ mə-ˈräzh ]

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

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.