Fata Morgana

[ Italian fah-tah mawr-gah-nah ]

/ Italian ˈfɑ tɑ mɔrˈgɑ nɑ /

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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

Words nearby Fata Morgana

fatalism, fatalist, fatalistic, fatality, fatally, Fata Morgana, fatback, fatberg, fatbody, fat camp, fat cat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Fata Morgana in a sentence

The youngest, Fata, only 12, danced around and pretended to be singing traditional songs from our ethnic tribal group, the Kpelle.
My Vanished Liberia|Leymah Gbowee|October 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Upon this Queen Morgana's cheeks grew very red, and her eyes shone like sparks of fire.
The Story of the Champions of the Round Table|Howard Pyle
Then Queen Morgana gave him her hand, and he kneeled, and took her jewelled fingers in his and set her hand to his lips.
The Story of the Champions of the Round Table|Howard Pyle
But Nature, as if to take away the reproach of permitting such a vast blotch on her fair face, kindly threw in Fata Morgana.
Hesperothen; Notes from the West, Vol. II (of 2)|W. H. Russell

This "Fata Morgana" was not merely interesting in itself, but also gave reason to indulge in the hope of a favourable wind.
Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara, Volume I|Karl Ritter von Scherzer
They are called fes or fetes (Latin fata), and sometimes fions, which reminds us of the fions of Scottish and Irish folk-lore.
Legends & Romances of Brittany|Lewis Spence

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