mirror

noun, verb — 9 senses

mirror

noun

AU, UK /ˈmɪɹə/ · US /ˈmiɹɚ/

Etymology From Middle English mirour, from Old French mireor (“mirror”, literally “looker, watcher”), from mirer (“look at”), from Latin mīror (“wonder at”), from mīrus (“wonderful”), from Proto-Indo-European *smey- (“to laugh, to be glad”). Displaced native Middle English schewere, schawere, from Old English sċēawere (“mirror”, literally “watcher”), which was also the word for "spy".

1

A smooth surface, usually made of glass with reflective material painted on the underside, that reflects light so as to give an image of what is in front of it.

  • I had a look in the mirror to see if the blood had come off my face.
  • He broke the mirror with the pickaxe.
1 more example
  • We could see the lorry in the mirror, so decided to change lanes.
2

Figuratively An object, person, or event that reflects or gives a picture of another.

  • His story is a mirror into the life of orphans growing up.
  • O goddess, heavenly bright, / Mirror of grace and majesty divine.1590, Edmund Spenser, “(please specify the book)”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
3

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Internet A website or server that contains replicated data from another site.

  • Although the content had been deleted from his blog, it was still found on some mirrors.
4

A mirror carp.

5

Historical An ethical-didactic treatise that details exemplary conduct through models, advising kings, princes, clergy, etc. on how to behave.

Derived terms
66 termsantimirror, bemirror, clear as a mirror, Coney Island mirror, do with mirrors, finger mirror, fog a mirror, hold a mirror to, hold a mirror up to, hold up a mirror to, liquid mirror telescope, look at oneself in the mirror, man in the mirror, metamirror, micromirror, mirrorable, mirror armor, mirror armour, mirror bacterium, mirror ball, mirror canon, mirror dweller, mirror fugue, mirrorful, mirror image, mirror-image twin, mirror imaging, mirrorize, mirrorless, mirror life, mirrorlike, mirror-like, mirror literature, mirror match, mirror matter, mirror-nearer merger, mirror neuron, mirror pronouns, mirror punishment, mirrorscope, mirror server journal, mirrorshades, mirror site, mirror stage, mirror symmetry, mirror syndrome, mirror test, mirror theory, mirrortocracy, mirrortree, mirror twin, mirror universe, Mirrorverse, mirror will, mirrorwise, mirrorwork, mirrory, mismirror, mouth mirror, multimirror, nanomirror, pentamirror, remirror, supermirror, time reversal mirror, unmirrored
Hyponyms
40 termsacoustic mirror, black mirror, Bragg mirror, burning mirror, cheval mirror, Chinese magic mirror, conjugate mirror, distorting mirror, dressing mirror, driving mirror, fold mirror, funhouse mirror, gossip mirror, half-silvered mirror, handmirror, ion mirror, liquid mirror, magic mirror, magnetic mirror, milk mirror, mirror pheasant, one-way mirror, parabolic mirror, plane mirror, rearview mirror, rear-view mirror, rear vision mirror, rear-vision mirror, reflex mirror, shaving mirror, side mirror, side-view mirror, skinny mirror, sound mirror, spherical mirror, street mirror, submirror, trumeau mirror, two-way mirror, wing mirror

mirror

verb

Etymology From Middle English mirour, from Old French mireor (“mirror”, literally “looker, watcher”), from mirer (“look at”), from Latin mīror (“wonder at”), from mīrus (“wonderful”), from Proto-Indo-European *smey- (“to laugh, to be glad”). Displaced native Middle English schewere, schawere, from Old English sċēawere (“mirror”, literally “watcher”), which was also the word for "spy".

1

To reflect, as in a mirror.

2

To act as a reflection of, either by being identical to, or by being identical but reversed.

  • The placement of the paintings mirrored the positions of the windows on the opposite wall.
3

Of an event, activity, behavior, to be identical to; to be a copy of; to imitate closely.

  • He tried to mirror Elvis's life by copying his fashion and mannerisms.
4

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Internet To create something identical to (a website, etc.).

Related terms
cheval glass, looking glass

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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