English word mirage comes from Proto-Indo-European *smei-, Proto-Italic *smeiros, and later Latin mirus (Wonderful, marvelous, amazing, surprising, awesome.)
Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
---|---|---|
*smei- | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | to smear, stroke, wipe, rub |
*smeiros | Proto-Italic (itc-pro) | |
mirus | English (en) | |
mirus | Latin (lat) | Wonderful, marvelous, amazing, surprising, awesome. |
miror | Latin (lat) | (transitive) I am astonished at, marvel at, admire, am amazed at, wonder at. |
mirer | Old French (fro) | To look at; to watch. |
mirer | French (fr) | (literary, or, dated) to watch intensely, to stare. |
mirage | French (fr) | Mirage. |
mirage | English (en) | (transitive) To cause to appear as or like a mirage. (figuratively) An illusion.. 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. |