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Glite Dictionary
Mata Hari

Mata Hari

3 9.8
A Dutch dancer executed as a German spy in World War I, used to mean a seductive woman spy
  • proper noun
  • /ˈmɑːtə ˈhɑːri/
  • NSFW
: Mata Hari
  • During World War I, Mata Hari was arrested and accused of espionage.

Examples

  • The famous dancer Mata Hari captivated audiences with her exotic style.

  • The term 'Mata Hari' is often used to describe a femme fatale or seductive spy.

  • Mata Hari.

    Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Synonyms

femme fatale
vsMata Hari
  • Literature
11 8.8

A mysterious, attractive woman who leads men into danger

refers specifically to an accused wartime entertainer and alleged foreign agent
Delilah
vsMata Hari
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A woman who uses charm to make a man lose power or get into trouble

is applied to a famous entertainer accused of spying rather than a scriptural figure
Margarete Gertrud Zelle
vsMata Hari
  • NSFW
9.9

A Dutch dancer and courtesan who the French executed for spying in World War I

is the better known stage name for that person and cultural stereotype

Surface Forms

Mata Hari main

Morphology

Mata + Hari

This is a proper name referring to a historical person and a culturally specific stereotype (a seductive female spy); that referential/idiomatic meaning is not compositionally derived from the name's parts. The tokens 'Mata' and 'Hari' are not English lexical items and provide no semantic clues, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituents would not be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Mata Hari comes from a real Dutch dancer who became famous for her exotic stage shows and was later accused and put to death as a spy in World War I. Because she mixed charm, secret meetings, and a dramatic trial, her name is now used to mean a 'seductive female spy'.