mirror

[ mir-er ]

/ ˈmɪr ər /

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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.

Nearby words

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

SYNONYMS FOR mirror

6 model, epitome, paradigm.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mirror ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Can be confusedmere mère mirror

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

The queen rejoiced, went home, and asked the mirror: “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all?”
In New Brothers Grimm 'Snow White', The Prince Doesn't Save Her|The Brothers Grimm|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lady Cecilia rose from the bed, advanced towards the mirror, and smoothed her hair.
The Mysteries of London, v. 1/4|George W. M. Reynolds
And so his crown was all a mirror—clear, bright, beautiful, but mirroring a looking-glass soul.
Sunday-School Success|Amos R. Wells
If art "holds the mirror up to nature" this art's mirror is the largest of all, the most used.
Our Androcentric Culture, or The Man Made World|Charlotte Perkins Gilman
I will only say that I repeated again the experiments with the mirror, sometimes with success, sometimes without.
Great Ghost Stories|Various
The more you look at this optical being moving there behind the mirror, the more remarkable the image appears to you.
Mysterious Psychic Forces|Camille Flammarion

British Dictionary definitions for mirror

mirror

/ (ˈmɪrə) /

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 (1 of 2)

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.

Word Origin and History for mirror (1 of 2)

mirror

"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."

Science definitions for mirror

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.

mirror

noun

verb (used with object)

adjective

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of mirror

Examples from the Web for mirror

British Dictionary definitions for mirror

mirror

noun

verb

Word Origin for mirror

Word Origin and History for mirror (1 of 2)

mirror

Word Origin and History for mirror (1 of 2)

mirror

Science definitions for mirror

mirror