Dictionary / miracle
miracle
- noun
- verb
- from Old French
An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “miracle” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
noun
- An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin.
Many religious beliefs are based on miracles.
- A fortunate outcome that prevails despite overwhelming odds against it.
Secondly, it was a miracle that a document hammered out with such difficulty, satisfying very few of its authors completely and satisfying some of them very little, would turn out to be the most successful political invention in history.1966 November 25, “A Great Document Made by Wisdom and Luck”, in Life, volume 61, number 22, page 13:
- An awesome and exceptional example of something.
economic miracle
verb
- transitiveTo affect by a miracle; to work a miracle upon.
When a patient declares that he has been "miracled," the other pilgrims are apt to rush to him (or her) and ask details; this is not permitted; the miracled invalid is borne or carted away to the Bureau of Medical Certification […]1925, The Medical Critic and Guide, volume 25, page 103:
Cross-check: WordNet senses (2)
- nounany amazing or wonderful occurrence
- nouna marvellous event manifesting a supernatural act of a divine agent
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)miracle
- Middle Englishmiracle
- Old Frenchmiracle
- Latinmīrāculum “object of wonder”
- Latinmīror “to wonder at”
- Latinmīrus “wonderful”
- Proto-Indo-European* (s)
From Middle English miracle, from Old French miracle, from Latin mīrāculum (“object of wonder”), from mīror (“to wonder at”), from mīrus (“wonderful”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meyh₂- (“to smile, to be astonished”). Doublet of milagro and miraculum. Partially displaced native wonder, from Old English wundor (“miracle, wonder”).
Derivatives — words built from “miracle”
Phrases & compounds
Want to go deeper? See also “miracle” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “miracle” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
miracle n. [F., fr. L. miraculum, fr. mirari to wonder. See Marvel, and cf. Mirror.]
- A wonder or wonderful thing.
- An event or effect contrary to the established constitution and course of things, or a deviation from the known laws of nature; a supernatural event, or one transcending the ordinary laws by which the universe is governed.
- A miracle play.
- A story or legend abounding in miracles.
miracle v. t.
- To make wonderful.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
nounMeaning: An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin.
Many religious beliefs are based on miracles.
An example of a miracle associated with Muhammad is the splitting of the moon.
nounMeaning: A fortunate outcome that prevails despite overwhelming odds against it.
Secondly, it was a miracle that a document hammered out with such difficulty, satisfying very few of its authors completely and satisfying some of them very little, would turn out to be the most successful political invention in history.1966 November 25, “A Great Document Made by Wisdom and Luck”, in Life, volume 61, number 22, page 13:
It was a miracle that I survived that ditching in the high waves because I had my seat belt and shoulder harness unbuckled in anticipation of bailing out.1993, Hatch N. Gardner, Frank H. Winter, P-51 Mustang, Turner Publishing Company, page 78:
nounMeaning: An awesome and exceptional example of something.
economic miracle
engineering miracle
verbMeaning: To affect by a miracle; to work a miracle upon.
When a patient declares that he has been "miracled," the other pilgrims are apt to rush to him (or her) and ask details; this is not permitted; the miracled invalid is borne or carted away to the Bureau of Medical Certification […]1925, The Medical Critic and Guide, volume 25, page 103:
Deleuze and Guattari are right in miracling fleas into the bestiary, but it is already rich enough to do without them.1998, Gary Genosko, Undisciplined Theory, page 117:
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
miracle
/ˈmɪɹ.ə.kəl/
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
miracle
/ˈmɪɹ.ə.kəl/ · noun, verb
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “miracle” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“Many religious beliefs are based on miracles.”
Circle the meaning used.
“economic miracle”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “miracle” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
The earliest traceable form is Latin mīrus. What did it mean?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — miracle
Which meaning, sentence 1: A. An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin.
Which meaning, sentence 2: A. An awesome and exceptional example of something.
Origin: D. Old French (Old French miracle)
Journey: English miracle ← Middle English miracle ← Old French miracle ← Latin mīrāculum ← Latin mīror ← Latin mīrus ← Proto-Indo-European *
Some derivatives: miracle-monger, miraclemonger, miracle-working, miraclist, miraculous, miraculously, miraculousness, outmiracle
Original meaning: Latin mīrus — “wonderful”
Etymology: From Middle English miracle, from Old French miracle, from Latin mīrāculum (“object of wonder”), from mīror (“to wonder at”), from mīrus (“wonderful”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meyh₂- (“to smile, to be astonished”). Doublet of milagro and miraculum. Partially displaced native wonder, from Old English wundor (“miracle, wonder”).
Sources: Wiktionary “miracle” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/miracle#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/miracle