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miracle

Etymology and origin of the English word miracle

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1137
Borrowed from
Old French miracle
Ultimate origin
Latin (miraculum)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmɪɹ.ə.kəl/; /ˈmiɹ.ə.kəl/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Old French miracle (“miracle, story of a miracle, miracle play”),[2][3][4] from Latin mīrāculum (“object of wonder”), in Church Latin a marvellous event caused by God,[3][2] from mīrārī (“to wonder at”), from mīrus, wonderful,[3][2][5] from earlier *smeiros, from PIE Proto-Indo-European *smei- (“to smile, laugh”) (see smile).[3][2][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A wondrous work of God: 1137, in the Peterborough Chronicle;[2] 1154 in the OED.[7]

Semantic evolution

It replaced Old English wundortacen and wundorweorc.[3] Something that excites wonder, an extraordinary feat, without regard to divine power, is from the mid-13th century,[3] and is applied hyperbolically to achievements from about 1386.[7] A medieval play based on the life of Christ or the saints is from 1303.[7][4] A marvel, a person or thing of more than natural excellence, is from about 1400,[7] and to a miracle, marvellously well, from 1643.[7] Latin mirus also lies behind admiration and marvel.[5] In Scotland the EDD records forms such as meracle and merrigle.[8]

Timeline

  • 1137 – a work of God.[2]
  • mid-13th century – an extraordinary feat.[3]
  • 1303 – a miracle play.[7]
  • c. 1400 – a marvel.[7]
  • 1643 – to a miracle.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An event that cannot be explained by the laws of nature and is held to be an act of God.
  2. An amazing or wonderful event, achievement or person.
  3. A miracle play.

Word family

  • miraculous
  • miracle play
  • miracle drug
  • miracle fruit
  • miracle mile

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Miracle.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/miracle. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·