/ˈmɪr.ə.kəl/·noun·Early 12th century CE (c. 1125) in Old French-influenced texts following the Norman Conquest; Latin miraculum attested from the 1st century BCE in Cicero and Livy.·Established
Origin
From PIE *smey- (to smile, to be amazed), miracle and smile are the same root split across Latin and Germanic. Latin mirari built a family of wondering — admire, mirror, mirage, marvel — before theChurchnarrowed miraculum from any wonder to specifically divine intervention.
Definition
An extraordinary event attributed to divine or supernatural agency, from Latin miraculum (object of wonder), from mirari (to wonder at), from PIE *smey- (to smile, be astonished).
The Full Story
LatinClassical Latin, 1st century BCE onwardwell-attested
Latin miraculum means 'an object of wonder, a marvel.' It derives from the deponent verb mirari, meaning 'to wonder at, to be amazed by,' from the adjective mirus, meaning 'wonderful, amazing.' This traces back to PIE *smey-, which carried the sense of 'to smile, to laugh, to be amazed' — linking the upward curl of a smile with the astonishment of witnessing something impossible. From the sameroot
Did you know?
Miracle and smile arethesame word at the root. Both descend from PIE *smey- (to be struck with wonder/delight) — Germanic kept the expression on the face (smile), while Latin dropped the s-, made mirus (wonderful) and miraculum (the thing causing wonder). Oneroot gave us the cause, the other
of wonder, smile is the expression of it. Miraculum entered Old French as miracle and passed into Middle English by the 12th century. The Latin Church narrowed its meaning from general 'wonder' to specifically 'divine intervention,' transforming a secular Roman concept into a religious technical term. Marvel is a doublet, from Latin mirabilia ('wonderful things') via Old French merveille. Key roots: *smey- (Proto-Indo-European: "to smile, to be amazed, to express wonder — source of Latin mirus, Sanskrit smayate, and English smile"), mirus (Latin: "wonderful, amazing — base of mirari (to wonder), miraculum (miracle), admirari (admire), mirare (mirror)"), mirari (Latin: "to wonder at, to be astonished — gives miraculum, admirari (admire), mirare (mirror), mirabilia (marvel)").
smayate (स्मयते)(Sanskrit (true cognate from PIE *smey- — to smile, to be amazed))smile(English (true cognate from PIE *smey- via Old English smīlan))miracolo(Italian (inherited from Latin miraculum))milagro(Spanish (inherited from Latin miraculum))admirer(French (from Latin admirari — same mirari root))Wunder(German (semantic parallel — different root, same concept))