mirabilia

[ mee-rah-bil-i-ah; English mir-uh-bil-ee-uh ]

plural noun

, Latin.

1. marvels; miracles.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mirabilia¹

First recorded in 1820–25; from Latin mīrābilia, a noun use of the neuter plural of the adjective mīrābilis “wonderful, marvelous, remarkable, singular”

Example Sentences

As described in a new paper published in Science, it’s all thanks to specialized networks of blood vessels known as “retia mirabilia.”

From Scientific American

Vogl speculates that the ancestors of cetaceans probably had retia mirabilia leading to the brain before they ever took to the oceans—but that this network served a different purpose on land.

From Scientific American

Flamingos are a classic example of animals that benefit from retia mirabilia, Kienle says.

From Scientific American

Indeed, retia mirabilia resemble complex stringy nets made up of thin veins and thick arteries.

From Scientific American

In most animals that have them, retia mirabilia serve as a mechanism for temperature regulation, and they have a unique structure.

From Scientific American