mirror

[mir-er]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mirror ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a reflecting surface, originally of polished metal but now usually of glass with a silvery, metallic, or amalgam backing.

such a surface set into a frame, attached to a handle, etc., for use in viewing oneself or as an ornament.

any reflecting surface, as the surface of calm water under certain lighting conditions.

Optics. a surface that is either plane, concave, or convex and that reflects rays of light.

something that gives a minutely faithful representation, image, or idea of something else: Gershwin's music was a mirror of its time.

a pattern for imitation; exemplar: a man who was the mirror of fashion.

a glass, crystal, or the like, used by magicians, diviners, etc.

verb (used with object)

to reflect in or as if in a mirror.

to reflect as a mirror does.

to mimic or imitate (something) accurately.

to be or give a faithful representation, image, or idea of: Her views on politics mirror mine completely.

adjective

Music. (of a canon or fugue) capable of being played in retrograde or in inversion, as though read in a mirror placed beside or below the music.

Idioms

with mirrors, by or as if by magic.

Origin of mirror

1175–1225; Middle English mirour < Old French mireo(u)r, equivalent to mir- (see mirage) + -eo(u)r < Latin -ātor -ator

Related formsmir·ror·like, adjectiveun·mir·rored, adjective

Can be confusedmere mère mirror

Synonyms for mirror

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mirror ON THESAURUS.COM

6. model, epitome, paradigm.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for mirror

exemplify, represent, depict, imitate, echo, typify, mimic, personify, epitomize, embody, follow, symbolize, illustrate, speculum, reflector, show, emulate, double, image, glass

Examples from the Web for mirror

Contemporary Examples of mirror

In it, he finds a large mirror, and when he looks into the mirror, he sees his parents standing behind him.
During Advent, Lots of Waiting, But Not Enough Hope
Gene Robinson
December 7, 2014
He runs to find his friend Ron to show him his parents in the mirror.
During Advent, Lots of Waiting, But Not Enough Hope
Gene Robinson
December 7, 2014
But when Ron looks into the mirror, he sees himself being carried on the shoulders of his teammates, the hero who won the game.
During Advent, Lots of Waiting, But Not Enough Hope
Gene Robinson
December 7, 2014
But she is, in her way, holding a mirror up to nature, and objects in this mirror may be closer than they appear.
Is Bigger Better for St. Vincent?
David Yaffe
December 4, 2014
And the mirror replied: “You, my queen, may have a beauty quite rare, but Little Snow White is a thousand times more fair.”
In New Brothers Grimm 'Snow White', The Prince Doesn't Save Her
The Brothers Grimm
November 30, 2014

Historical Examples of mirror

Over the seat is a mirror cut into small squares by wooden muntins.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
After that she must pin it on, and slip in to stand before his mirror and inspect the result.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Her stiff cap moved in the breeze as it swung from the corner of her mirror.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
"I feel an awful fool in it," he murmured, glancing at his reflection in the mirror.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine
The principle of the siphon recorder is exactly the inverse of the mirror galvanometer.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro

British Dictionary definitions for mirror

mirror

noun

a surface, such as polished metal or glass coated with a metal film, that reflects light without diffusion and produces an image of an object placed in front of it

such a reflecting surface mounted in a frame

any reflecting surface

a thing that reflects or depicts something elsethe press is a mirror of public opinion

verb

(tr) to reflect, represent, or depict faithfullyhe mirrors his teacher's ideals

Derived Formsmirror-like, adjective

Word Origin for mirror

C13: from Old French from mirer to look at, from Latin mīrārī to wonder at

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

Word Origin and History for mirror

early 13c., from Old French mireoir "a reflecting glass, looking glass; observation, model, example," earlier miradoir (11c.), from mirer "look at" (oneself in a mirror), "observe, watch, contemplate," from Vulgar Latin *mirare "to look at," variant of Latin mirari "to wonder at, admire" (see miracle). Figurative usage is attested from c.1300. Used in divination since classical and biblical times; mirrors in modern England are the subject of at least 14 known superstitions, according to folklorists. Belief that breaking one brings bad luck is attested from 1777. The Spanish cognate, mirador (from mirar "to look, look at, behold"), has come to mean "watch tower." Mirror ball attested from 1968.

"to reflect," 1590s, from mirror (n.). Related: Mirrored; mirroring. The Middle English verb mirouren (early 15c.) meant "to be a model" (for conduct, behavior, etc.), while miren (mid-14c., from Old French mirer) meant "to look in a mirror."

mirror in Science

mirror

[mĭr′ər]

An object that causes light or other radiation to be reflected from its surface, with little or no diffusion. Common mirrors consist of a thin sheet or film of metal, such as silver, behind or covering a glass pane. Mirrors are used extensively in telescopes, microscopes, lasers, fiber optics, measuring instruments, and many other devices. See more at reflection.