Fata Morgana

[ Italian fah-tah mawr-gah-nah ]
/ Italian ˈfɑ tɑ mɔrˈgɑ nɑ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR Fata Morgana ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Meteorology. a mirage consisting of multiple images, as of cliffs and buildings, that are distorted and magnified to resemble elaborate castles, often seen near the Straits of Messina.

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Origin of Fata Morgana

1810–20; < Italian, translation of Morgan le Fay, associated in literature with magical castles
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to fata morgana

rainbow, monster, fabrication, delusion, hallucination, fancy, illusion, figment, mirage, monstrosity, snare, bubble, specter, bogy, apparition, phantasm, vision, phantasmagoria

British Dictionary definitions for fata morgana

Fata Morgana
/ (ˈfɑːtə mɔːˈɡɑːnə, Italian ˈfaːta mɔrˈɡaːna) /

noun

a mirage, esp one in the Strait of Messina attributed to the sorcery of Morgan le Fay

Word Origin for Fata Morgana

C19: from Italian: Morgan le Fay
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012