Mata Hari denotes a seductive woman who works as a spy, named after a Dutch dancer executed for espionage, whose stage name means 'sun' in Malay.
Mata Hari refers to a seductive woman who works as a spy. The name comes from the Malayan phrase for 'sun' and was the stage name of a Dutch exotic dancer executed for espionage during World War I.
| Back | Mata Hari /MA-tuh HAR-ee, MAT-uh HAR-ee/ |
|---|---|
| Front | noun A seductive woman who works as a spy. [After exotic dancer Mata Hari, a stage name of Margaretha Geertruida Zelle (1876-1917). She was a Dutch woman, who took a Malay name, allegedly spied for the Germans, and was executed by the French. Her stage name Mata Hari means sun, literally "eye of the day", from Malay mata (eye) + hari (day, dawn). Earliest documented use: 1936.] "In London, Sophia joins the war effort ... and embarks upon improbable espionage escapades, hoping to come off as a Mata Hari in furs and printed chiffon." - Liesl Schillinger; The Persistence of Levity; Newsweek (New York); Sep 20, 2013. |
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