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Glite Dictionary
fata morgana

fata morgana

9.9
A strange image on the horizon that makes distant things look closer or doubled
  • noun
  • /ˈfɑːtə mɔːrˈɡɑːnə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fata morgana
  • The mysterious castle in the distance turned out to be a fata morgana caused by unusual atmospheric conditions.

Examples

  • Sailors in the Mediterranean sometimes saw a fata morgana shimmering above the horizon.

  • Hikers were momentarily tricked by a fata morgana that made the distant mountains look much closer than they were.

  • Look! A fata morgana!

  • What a fata morgana!

  • Sailors often report seeing a fata morgana at sea, where ships appear to float above the horizon.

  • The fata morgana created stunning illusions of distant islands on the horizon as we sailed through the Strait of Messina.

  • While exploring the desert, they were amazed by the fata morgana that made it seem like water was shimmering just ahead.

Synonyms

mirage
vsfata morgana
7 7.4

A false image of water on a hot road or in a desert

is a specific, complex superior illusion making multiple distorted images at the horizon

Surface Forms

fata morgana singular
fata morganae plural

Morphology

fata + Morgana

This is an eponymous, borrowed phrase (Italian 'Fata Morgana') whose parts are a proper name and a non-English element so an average B1 learner who knows the surface words would not be able to infer the technical sense 'complex superior mirage'. While 'Morgana' may evoke magic/illusion, that vague association is insufficient to predict the specific meteorological phenomenon, making the expression non-compositional for learners.

Etymology

Fata morgana comes from old stories about Morgan le Fay, a magical woman who was said to make false castles and ships appear on the far sea. Sailors who saw these strange, shimmering images thought they were her 'optical tricks', so today fata morgana means a strange, far-off mirage.