My standard English dictionary defines mirage as: "an optical illusion due to atmospheric conditions by which reflected images of distant objects are seen." The word finds its origins in the French verb se mirer: to be reflected. I'll excuse the lexicographers on the use of the word reflected in the definition because it does seem more appropriate, given the word's roots, even if incorrect. Actually they were only two letters off, the proper technical term should be refracted. (I checked two other English dictionaries, and they both used the term reflected in their definition. And be careful, a number of popular books on weather have fallen into the same trap when describing mirages.)
