[Loch-Ruadh] Another word for the day

[Jane Sitton]

This one is even better than the other one I sent. -- Madelina

The Word of the Day for October 21 is:

fata morgana * \fah-tuh-mor-GAH-nuh\ * (noun):  mirage

Example sentence:

"Then, suddenly - like a fata morgana rising out of the desert clouds -
houses, trees, and people materialized." (Joseph Wechsberg, The New Yorker,
November 1952)

Did you know?

"Fata Morgana" is the Italian name for Morgan le Fay (meaning "Morgan
The Fairy"), the fairy sorceress of medieval legends.  This half-sister of
The legendary King Arthur is sometimes portrayed as living in a palace
Under water and is said to have had a number of magical powers, with which
she caused a great deal of trouble.  Among her powers, say some versions of
the legends, was the ability to create mirages.  She has been blamed for
causing complex mirages over bodies of water, especially in the Strait of
Messina.  Today we know that such optical illusions are really caused by
atmospheric conditions, but we still sometimes use "fata morgana" as a
synonym of "mirage."