mirage

Definition

An optical phenomenon in which light is refracted through a layer of hot air close to the ground, often giving the illusion of a body of water.

Etymology

An unadapted borrowing from French mirage c. 1812.

Example Sentences

• "I remember hearing, that in the East the clear and azure waters seem to flow before the weary and parched traveller; yet a little further, and on he urges his weary way, but in vain—the fair stream is a delusion. Even thus happiness is the mirage which leads us over the desert of life, ever fated to end in deceit and disappointment."