Definitions

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Astron.) A remarkable variable star in the constellation Cetus (ο Ceti).

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A female given name.
  • proper noun astronomy A binary star in the constellation Cetus, Omicron (ο) Ceti. The system contains a variable red giant and a white dwarf. Its brightness varies from a magnitude 2 at its brightest to a magnitude 10 at its dimmest.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Name of a 16th century Indian poetess, also called Mirabai, from Hindi मीरा (Mīrā, "wealthy, high born"), ultimately from Persian.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Named by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius in 1662. From Latin mīrus ("wonderful, surprising")

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Examples

  • The star, Mira, is named for the Latin word meaning "wonderful."

    Boing Boing 2007

  • Although the NIGHTWALKERS are a formidable almost invincible breed, Mira is unique as the only master of the element fire.

    Nightwalker-Jocelynn Drake « The Merry Genre Go Round Reviews 2008

  • The trail of carbon, oxygen and other cosmic matter behind the giant red star Mira, named after the Latin word for wonderful, is 13 light years long – about 20,000 times the distance from Pluto to the Sun.

    Comet Star Leaves Planets in Wake | Impact Lab 2007

  • Mira is hurtling through space at 291,000 miles per hour.

    Boing Boing 2007

  • Mira is an older star called a red giant that is losing massive amounts of surface material.

    Boing Boing 2007

  • And still many don't know that Mira is Harlequin, and I need to explain the brand, etc.

    So what about self-publishing? 2007

  • A wine lunch at the Wine Sellar in Mira Mesa (I love their tuna tartare and pot de creme)

    Some Favorite San Diego Food "Experiences" Alice Q. Foodie 2006

  • But her nickname Mira fits her well, so that's what I call her most of the time.

    My Baby, By Any Other Name... 2008

  • The one I bought was called 'Mira' - it's soft and floppy, very lightweight as opposed to some of the others they sell, perfect for this kind of project.

    hexes hexes... I love the hexes Katy 2009

  • The one I bought was called 'Mira' - it's soft and floppy, very lightweight as opposed to some of the others they sell, perfect for this kind of project.

    Archive 2009-03-01 Katy 2009

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