mirac-, mira-, mir- +

1. An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God.
2. An effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.
3. Any amazing or wonderful occurrence.
4. From Old French miracle, from Latin miraculum, "object of wonder" (in Church Latin, "marvelous event caused by God"), from mirari, "to wonder at", from mirus, "wonderful".

1. Performed by or involving a supernatural power or agency; preternatural: "It was a miraculous cure."
2. Of the nature of a miracle; marvelous.
3. Having or seeming to have the power to work miracles: "She offered miraculous drugs for his illness."
4. So astounding as to suggest a miracle; phenomenal.

In a miraculous manner.

A window, balcony, or small tower affording an extensive view.

From Catalan mirar, "to view", from Latin mirari, "to wonder at".

1. An optical phenomenon that creates the illusion of water, often with inverted reflections of distant objects, and results from distortion of light by alternate layers of hot and cool air.
2. Something illusory, unattainable, or insubstantial.

From French, mirer, "to look at"; from Latin mirari, "to wonder at", from mirus, "wonderful".

An optical effect, sometimes seen on the ocean, but more frequently in deserts, due to total reflection of light at the surface common to two strata of air differently heated. The reflected image is seen, commonly in an inverted position, while the real object may or may not be in sight.

When the surface is horizontal, and below the eye, the appearance is that of a sheet of water in which the object is seen reflected; when the reflecting surface is above the eye, the image is seen projected against the sky.

1. A female given name from a Latin word meaning “to be admired”.
2. Latin for "admirable".

1. Working wonders; wonderful.
2. Wonder-working; miraculous.

1. A reflecting surface, originally of polished metal but now usually of glass with a silvery, metallic, or amalgam backing.
2. A surface set into a frame, attached to a handle, etc., for use in viewing oneself or as an ornament.
3. Any reflecting surface; such as, the surface of calm water under certain lighting conditions.
4. Optics, a surface that is either plane, concave, or convex and that reflects rays of light.
5. Something that gives a minutely faithful representation, image, or idea of something else.
6. A pattern for imitation; exemplar: "He was a man who was the mirror of self-discipline."
7. A glass, crystal, or the like, used by magicians, diviners, etc.
8. With mirrors, by or as if by magic.
9. Etymology: from Old French mireor, "a reflecting glass," earlier miradoir (11th century), from mirer, "look at", from Vulgar Latin mirare, from Latin mirari, "to wonder at, to admire".

The most common use of mirrors is in the home for personal grooming, but mirrors are also used in scientific apparatus; such as, telescopes and lasers, and in industrial machinery.

Most mirrors are designed for visible light; however, mirrors designed for other wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation are also used, especially in optical instruments.

The history and development of mirrors

The mirror of the ancient Greeks and Romans was a disk of metal with a highly polished face, sometimes with a design on the back, and usually with a handle.

Glass mirrors date from the Middle Ages.

They were made in large numbers in Venice from the 16th century, the back being covered with a thin coating of tin mixed with mercury; after 1840, a thin coating of silver was generally substituted.

The introduction of plate glass for mirrors (17th century) stimulated the use of large stationary mirrors as part of household furniture.

Small bits of silvered glass were used often in the East to adorn articles of clothing and of decorations.

The metal trench hand mirror of World War I revived the manufacture of mirrors of this type. More recently, aluminum was introduced as the reflecting material because it is almost as efficient as silver but is more resistant to oxidation. Mirrors play an important part in the modern astronomical telescope.

Mirrors and telescopes

Telescopes and other precision instruments use front silvered mirrors, where the reflecting surface is placed on the front surface of the glass, which gives better image quality.

Some of them use silver, but most are aluminum, which is more reflective at short wavelengths than silver.

All of these coatings are easily damaged and require special handling. They reflect 90% to 95% of the incident light when new.

The coatings are typically applied by vacuum deposition. A protective overcoat is usually applied before the mirror is removed from the vacuum, because the coating otherwise begins to corrode as soon as it is exposed to oxygen and humidity in the air. Front silvered mirrors have to be resurfaced occasionally to keep their quality.

Mirrors have been a part of literature

• In Greek mythology, the hero Perseus killed Medusa by using a mirrored shield so as not to gaze directly upon her monstrous appearance.
• In English literature, a famous example is Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, in which protagonist Alice uses a mirror as a portal to a strange alternate world.
• Another example is found in the fairy tale Snow White, in which the Wicked Queen consults a magic mirror to determine the identity of the most beautiful woman in the world.
• In the Harry Potter series of novels, the "Mirror of Erised" is a magic mirror that reflects its viewer's deepest desires.

Also featured in the series is a type of device (a dark detector) that functions as a mirror, depicting not only the gazer but also a number of shadowy figures in the background who are enemies and their proximity to the viewer represents their imminent threat.

1. To reflect in or as if in a mirror.
2. Like or characteristic of a mirrored image.

1. One aspect of mirroring is the process that exactly duplicates computer information in one location to another. 2. In psychiatry, a technique in psychodrama in which another person in the group plays the role of the patient, who watches the enactment as if gazing into a mirror.

Capable of reflecting light like a mirror: "We admired the mirrorlike surface of the lake."