Miracle

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: mir=a=cle

CIDE DICTIONARY

Miracle, n. [F., fr. L. miraculum, fr. mirari to wonder. See Marvel, and cf. Mirror.].

•  A wonder or wonderful thing.  [1913 Webster]

  "That miracle and queen of genus."  [1913 Webster]
•  An event or effect contrary to the established constitution and course of things, or a deviation from the known laws of nature; a supernatural event, or one transcending the ordinary laws by which the universe is governed.  [1913 Webster]

  "They considered not the miracle of the loaves."  [1913 Webster]
•  A miracle play.  [1913 Webster]
•  A story or legend abounding in miracles.  [1913 Webster]

  "When said was all this miracle."  [1913 Webster]

Miracle monger, an impostor who pretends to work miracles. -- Miracle play, one of the old dramatic entertainments founded on legends of saints and martyrs or (see 2d Mystery, 2) on events related in the Bible.

Miracle, v. t. 

 To make wonderful.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Miracle, n.
1 an extraordinary event attributed to some supernatural agency.
2 a any remarkable occurrence. b a remarkable development in some specified area (an economic miracle; the German miracle).
3 (usu. foll. by of) a remarkable or outstanding specimen (the plan was a miracle of ingenuity).

Idiom

miracle drug a drug which represents a breakthrough in medical science. miracle play a medieval play based on the Bible or the lives of the saints.

Etymology

ME f. OF f. L miraculum object of wonder f. mirari wonder f. mirus wonderful

DEVIL DICTIONARY

Miracle

n. An act or event out of the order of nature and unaccountable, as beating a normal hand of four kings and an ace with four aces and a king.

THESAURUS

Miracle

Grand Guignol, Passion play, Tom show, amazement, antimasque, astonishing thing, astonishment, audience success, ballet, bomb, broadcast drama, burlesque show, charade, cliff hanger, closet drama, comedy drama, critical success, curiosity, daytime serial, dialogue, documentary drama, drama, dramalogue, dramatic play, dramatic series, duodrama, duologue, enchantment, epic theater, exception, experimental theater, extravaganza, failure, fantasy, ferlie, flop, gasser, gazingstock, giveaway, happening, hit, hit show, improvisational drama, legitimate drama, marvel, marvelment, masque, melodrama, minstrel show, miracle play, monodrama, monologue, morality, morality play, music drama, musical revue, mystery, mystery play, nonesuch, opera, pageant, panel show, pantomime, pastoral, pastoral drama, phenomenon, piece, play, playlet, portent, problem play, prodigy, psychodrama, quite a thing, quiz show, radio drama, rarity, review, revue, sensation, sensational play, serial, show, sight, sign, sitcom, situation comedy, sketch, skit, soap, soap opera, sociodrama, something else, spectacle, stage play, stage show, straight drama, stunner, success, suspense drama, tableau, tableau vivant, talk show, teleplay, television drama, television play, theater of cruelty, total theater, variety show, vaudeville, vaudeville show, vehicle, wonder, wonderful thing, wonderment, wonderwork, word-of-mouth success, work

ROGET THESAURUS

Miracle

Unconformity

N unconformity, nonconformity, unconformity, disconformity, unconventionality, informality, abnormity, abnormality, anomaly, anomalousness, exception, peculiarity, infraction of law, breach, of law, violation of law, violation of custom, violation of usage, infringement of law, infringement of custom, infringement of usage, teratism, eccentricity, bizarrerie, oddity, je ne sais quoi, monster, monstrosity, rarity, freak, freak of Nature, weirdo, mutant, rouser, snorter, individuality, idiosyncrasy, originality, mannerism, aberration, irregularity, variety, singularity, exemption, salvo, nonconformist, nondescript, character, original, nonesuch, nonsuch, monster, prodigy, wonder, miracle, curiosity, flying fish, black sheep, black swan, lusus naturae, rara avis, queer fish, mongrel, random breed, half-caste, half-blood, half-breed, metis, crossbreed, hybrid, mule, hinny, mulatto, tertium quid, hermaphrodite, phoenix, chimera, hydra, sphinx, minotaur, griffin, griffon, centaur, saggittary, kraken, cockatrice, wyvern, roc, dragon, sea serpent, mermaid, merman, merfolk, unicorn, Cyclops, men whose heads do grow beneath their shoulders, teratology, fish out of water, neither one thing nor another, neither fish nor fowl, neither fish flesh nor fowl nor good red herring, one in a million, one in a way, one in a thousand, outcast, outlaw, off the beaten track, oasis, uncomformable, exceptional, abnormal, abnormous, anomalous, anomalistic, out of order, out of place, out of keeping, out of tune, out of one's element, irregular, arbitrary, teratogenic, lawless, informal, aberrant, stray, wandering, wanton, peculiar, exclusive, unnatural, eccentric, egregious, out of the beaten track, off the beaten track, out of the common, out of the common run, beyond the pale of, out of the pale of, misplaced, funny, unusual, unaccustomed, uncustomary, unwonted, uncommon, rare, curious, odd, extraordinary, out of the ordinary, strange, monstrous, wonderful, unexpected, unaccountable, outre, out of the way, remarkable, noteworthy, queer, quaint, nondescript, none such, sui generis, unfashionable, fantastic, grotesque, bizarre, outlandish, exotic, tombe des nues, preternatural, denaturalized, heterogeneous, heteroclite, amorphous, mongrel, amphibious, epicene, half blood, hybrid, androgynous, androgynal, asymmetric, adelomorphous, bisexual, hermaphrodite, monoclinous, qualified, singular, unique, one-of-a-kind, newfangled, novel, non-classical, original, unconventional, unheard of, unfamiliar, undescribed, unprecedented, unparalleled, unexampled, unconformably, except, unless, save barring, beside, without, save and except, let alone, however, yet, but, once in a blue moon, once in a million years, Int, what on earth!, what in the world!, What the devil!, Holy cow!, Can you top that?, Sacre bleu, never was seen the like, never was heard the like, never was known the like, I could hardly believe it, I saw it, but I didn't believe it.

Prodigy

N prodigy, phenomenon, wonder, wonderment, marvel, miracle, monster, curiosity, lion, sight, spectacle, jeu de theatre, coup de theatre, gazingstock, sign, St. Elmo's fire, St. Elmo's light, portent, bursting of a shell, bursting of a bomb, volcanic eruption, peal of thunder, thunder-clap, thunder-bolt, what no words can paint, wonders of the world, annus mirabilis, dignus vindice nodus, natura il fece e poi roppe la stampa.