Etymology 1

Named by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius in 1662. From

Proper noun

1. 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.

Etymology 2

Name of a 16th century Indian poetess, also called Mirabai, from , ultimately from .

Proper noun

1. used in India.
   • 1961 V. S. Naipaul, A House for Mr Biswas, Penguin Books 1977, ISBN 0140030255, page 366:

     Dorothy's daughters were of exceptional beauty and the sisters could complain only that the Hindi names Dorothy had chosen - Mira, Leela, Lena - were meant to pass as Western ones.

Usage notes

• As occasionally used in the West, the name may also be borrowed from Slavonic languages, or be a short form of Miranda.

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Etymology

A 20th century invention, borrowed from the diminutive of female names containing the element ; also explained as a short form of , or derived from the name of the star.

Proper noun

1. popular from the 1970s to the 1990s.
2. Mira.