mirror

The word “mirror” means a smooth, reflective surface, usually glass backed with metal, that shows an image of what is in front of it. In plain terms, something that reflects an image — literally (glass) or figuratively (matching behavior, or a backup website).

“Mirror” is pronounced MIH-ruh (/ˈmiɹɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “mirror” used in a sentence: “She checked her hair in the mirror before leaving.”

Depending on how it is used, “mirror” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “mirror” comes from Latin. From Old French mireor ("mirror," literally "one who looks"), from Latin mīror ("to wonder at").

“Mirror” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Mirror” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a smooth, reflective surface, usually glass backed with metal, that shows an image of what is in front of it.

A mirror reflects light off its surface to form an image, while a lens lets light pass through and bends, or refracts, it. Mirrors are usually backed with metal to bounce light back; lenses are transparent and used to focus or spread it, as in glasses and cameras.

The main types are plane, or flat, mirrors, which show a true-size image, and curved mirrors. Concave mirrors curve inward and can magnify or focus light, as in makeup or telescope mirrors. Convex mirrors curve outward and widen the view, which is why cars and shops use them.

It actually doesn't. A mirror reverses front to back, not left to right. Your reflection's raised right hand appears on the side facing your left because it is flipped toward you, not swapped sideways. Text looks backwards for the same reason — the image is reversed through the surface.

Light hits the smooth surface and bounces off at the same angle it arrived, a process called reflection. Because the surface is even, the reflected rays keep their arrangement, so your eyes receive an organised image rather than scattered light. The metal backing makes the reflection bright and clear.