mid-12c., "a wondrous work of God," from Old French miracle (11c.) "miracle, story of a miracle, miracle play," from Latin miraculum "object of wonder" (in Church Latin, "marvelous event caused by God"), from mirari "to wonder at, marvel, be astonished," figuratively "to regard, esteem," from mirus "wonderful, astonishing, amazing," earlier *smeiros, from PIE *smei- "to smile, laugh" (cognates: Sanskrit smerah "smiling," Greek meidan "to smile," Old Church Slavonic smejo "to laugh;" see smile (v.)).
From mid-13c. as "extraordinary or remarkable feat," without regard to deity. Replaced Old English wundortacen, wundorweorc. The Greek words rendered as miracle in the English bibles were semeion "sign," teras "wonder," and dynamis "power," in Vulgate translated respectively as signum, prodigium, and virtus. The Latin word is the source of Spanish milagro, Italian miracolo.
雙語例句
1. A miracle is something that seems impossible but happens anyway.
奇跡就是看似不可能，卻發生了。
來自電影《黑衣人3》
2. The 1981 budget was the springboard for an economic miracle.
1981年的預算促成了一場經濟奇跡的出現。
來自柯林斯例句
3. The Italian economic miracle has always been a mystery.
意大利的經濟奇跡一直是個謎。
來自柯林斯例句
4. If you consider him a miracle man, you're overrating him.
如果你認為他能創造奇跡，那你是高估他了。
來自柯林斯例句
5. These are the facts that explode their so-called economic miracle.