Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small, portable mirror designed to be held in one's hand: A "hand mirror" is a mirror with a handle, allowing it to be easily held and used for viewing one's reflection at close range, typically for personal grooming or applying makeup.

Usage

• The primary function is for personal grooming. It is held in the hand to view one's face or the back of one's head.
• It is often used in conjunction with a larger, stationary wall mirror.

Examples

• Noun:
  • She used a hand mirror to check the back of her hairstyle.
  • The antique silver hand mirror was part of her dressing table set.
  • He picked up the hand mirror to get a closer look at the blemish on his cheek.

Advanced Usage

• "To hold up a hand mirror (to someone/something)": Used metaphorically to describe the act of showing someone the truth about themselves or a situation, often critically.
  • The report holds up a hand mirror to the company's flawed environmental practices. (This is an idiomatic extension, not a literal compound of the target word.)

Variants and Related Words

• Compact (mirror): A small, often folding case containing a mirror and sometimes powder. While similar in portability, a compact typically folds and may include cosmetics.
• Vanity mirror: A larger, often framed mirror designed to sit on a dressing table. It is not held in the hand.

Synonyms

• Vanity glass (archaic)
• Looking glass (archaic/general term for mirror, not specific to hand-held)

Related Phrases

• (To be) mirror in hand: A descriptive phrase indicating the action of using a hand mirror.
  • She stood, mirror in hand, perfecting her lipstick.

Notes

• The term is a compound noun ("hand" + "mirror"). Its meaning is specific and literal, referring to the physical object. The metaphorical use in "Advanced Usage" is an idiomatic application of the entire phrase, not a standard definition of the compound word itself.

Noun

1. a mirror intended to be held in the hand