Pronounced: JUHR-nee-muhn, noun
Notes: While I have heard the word, I could not properly define it
Yesterday’s phrase
The phrase fata morgana means “mirage”
First usage
Our phrase came into English in the early 1800s
Background / Comments
Our phrase is the Italian name for Morgan le Fay (literally, “Morgan the Fairy”); the sister of the legendary King Arthur. She was reputed to have magical powers; some stories state that she can change shape. She was blamed for causing complex mirages in bodies of water, and the Straits of Messina in particular. Atmospheric conditions was the real cause of the optical illusions in the Straits, but the phrase fata morgana came to be another word for “mirage”.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 