Etymograph

English

mirror

Mirror comes from Old French mireor ‘looker’, from mirer ‘to look at’, from Latin mīror ‘to wonder at’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mey- ‘to laugh’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)mey-1‘to laugh, to be glad’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*sméyros1‘laughing, smiling’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*smeiros1‘wonderful’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmīrus1‘to wonder at’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmīror1‘wonder at’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400mirer1‘mirror (lit. looker)’
  7. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400mireor1literally ‘looker, watcher’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mirour1‘a mirror’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1590mirror1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English mirror
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Edmund Spenser, (please specify the book): “O goddess, heavenly bright, / Mirror of grace and…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)mey-Wiktionary, English mirror‘to laugh, to be glad’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*sméyrosWiktionary, English mirror‘laughing, smiling’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*smeirosWiktionary, English mirror‘wonderful’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmīrusWiktionary, English mirror‘to wonder at’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmīrorWiktionary, English mirror‘wonder at’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400mirerWiktionary, English mirror‘mirror (lit. looker)’
  7. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400mireorWiktionary, English mirrorliterally ‘looker, watcher’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mirourWiktionary, English mirror‘a mirror’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1590mirrorWiktionary, English mirror. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Edmund Spenser, (please specify the book): “O goddess, heavenly bright, / Mirror of grace and…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *smey- ‘to laugh, to be glad’

smith, smile, comity, 3 more

through Latin mīrus ‘wonderful’

marvelling, 8 more

through Latin mīror ‘wonder at’

marvel, miracle, admire, admirable, mirabilis, mirador, 6 more

through Old French mirer ‘look at’

mirage

Today it means

noun A smooth surface, usually made of glass with reflective material painted on the underside, that reflects light so as to give an image of what is in front of it.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “mirror”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)mey- / mirror

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