|fäd.əˌmȯ(r)ˈgänə noun
( plural fata morganas )
Usage: sometimes capitalized F&M
Etymology: Italian, mirage, Morgan le Fay (sorceress of Arthurian legend)
1. : mirage
suddenly — like a fata morgana rising out of the desert clouds — houses, trees, and people materialized — Joseph Wechsberg
especially : one with marked displacement and distortion
2. : something insubstantial or illusory
the fata morgana of romantic love — Anthony West