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mirage

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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionarymi·rage \mə-ˈräzh\ noun ETYMOLOGY French, from mirer to look at, from Latin mirari DATE 18031. 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 density2. something illusory and unattainable like a mirageSynonyms: see delusionEnglish Etymologymirage "optical illusion of water in sandy deserts," 1812, from Fr. mirage,from se mirer "to be reflected," from L. mirare (see mirror).Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7miragemir·age / 5mirB:V; mi5rB:V; NAmE mE5rB:V / noun1. an effect caused by hot air in deserts or on roads, that makes you think you can see sth, such as water, which is not there 幻景；海市蜃楼2. a hope or wish that you cannot make happen because it is not realistic 幻想；妄想 SYN illusion : His idea of love was a mirage. 他的爱情观不现实。 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of EnglishOxford Collocations dictionary for students of Englishmirage noun VERB + MIRAGE see | chase (figurative) Perhaps we are all just chasing a mirage. MIRAGE + VERB vanishWebster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridgedmi·rageI. \mə̇ˈrä]zh, -rȧl sometimes ]j\ noun(-s)Etymology: French, from mirer to look at, aim at (se mirer to look at oneself, be reflected), from Latin mirari to wonder at — more at smile1. a. : an optical phenomenon that is often observed on still days over deserts or hot pavements, that has the mirrorlike appearance of a quiet lake or pool in which distant objects are seen inverted by reflection though usually distorted, and that is due to a layer of air which has been heated and therefore rarefied by contact with the ground and which has a density distribution such as to cause rays falling obliquely upon it to curve back upward — see fata morgana, looming b. : an atmospheric phenomenon in which the air appears to move in ascending waves like those above heated metal2. : something illusory like a mirage : something visionary and unattainable < if one is to write one must have at least the mirage of an audience — F.M.Ford > < explorers, attracted by the mirage of a Northwest passage, pushed through the wilderness — American Guide Series: Minnesota >II. transitive verb(-ed/-ing/-s): to present as a mirage < on the horizon level, we could see miraged several small islands — Australian Museum Magazine >

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