This noun denotes a mirror or looking glass, typically made of polished metal in antiquity. In 1 Corinthians 13:12, Paul contrasts present partial knowledge with future full knowledge: 'now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.' In James 1:23, someone who hears the word but doesn't do it is like a man observing his face 'in a mirror'—seeing himself but immediately forgetting what he looks like. The multilingual glosses are uniform: Spanish 'espejo', French 'miroir', German 'Spiegel'—all meaning mirror. Ancient mirrors gave imperfect, dim reflections compared to modern glass, making them apt metaphors for partial knowledge.