pareidolia

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English

WOTD – 17 February 2011
The so-called “Face on Mars”: an example of pareidolia based on a 1976 photograph of an area of Martian topography
A more detailed photograph taken in different lighting in 2001 destroys the pareidolic impression

Etymology

Borrowed from German Pareidolie, constructed from Ancient Greek παρα- (para-, “alongside”) + εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “image”) + -ία (-ía).

Pronunciation

Noun

pareidolia (countable and uncountable, plural pareidolias)

  1. (psychology) The tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the observer, such as interpreting marks on Mars as canals, seeing shapes in clouds, or hearing hidden messages in music.
    Hypernym: apophenia
    • 1868 July, John Sibbald, The British Journal of Psychiatry, volume 13, page 238:
      This last is called by Dr. Kahlbaum, changing hallucination, partial hallucination, perception of secondary images, or pareidolia.
    • 1993, Raymond Moody, Paul Perry, Reunions: Visionary Encounters with Departed Loved Ones, New York, N.Y.: Random House, →ISBN, page 13:
      Pareidolia underlies several forms of divination.
    • 2006, Steve W. Martin, “Choosing Your Battles”, in Heavy Hitter Selling: How Successful Salespeople Use Language and Intuition to Persuade Customers to Buy, Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 150:
      Pareidolias aren't solely limited to images. When I was a youngster, I remember listening to The Beatles' song "Strawberry Fields" over and over to hear what seemed to be "I buried Paul."
    • 2010, Rick Emmer, “Nessies of the New World”, in Loch Ness Monster: Fact or Fiction? (Creature Scene Investigation), New York, N.Y.: Chelsea House Publishers, Infobase Publishing, →ISBN, page 81:
      Pareidolia is a state of mind where a vague or unclear image is perceived to be something recognizable, regardless of whether it's something you expect to see. The most famous example of pareidolia is the familiar face of the Man in the Moon.

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

Italian

Etymology

From Ancient Greek παρα- (para-) + εἴδωλον (eídōlon).

Noun

pareidolia f (plural pareidolie)

  1. pareidolia

Derived terms

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

From Ancient Greek παρα- (para-, “alongside”) + εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “image”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pa.rɛ.iˈdɔ.lja/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɔlja
  • Syllabification: pa‧re‧i‧do‧lia

Noun

pareidolia f

  1. pareidolia (tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar)

Declension

Declension of pareidolia
singular
nominative pareidolia
genitive pareidolii
dative pareidolii
accusative pareidolię
instrumental pareidolią
locative pareidolii
vocative pareidolio

Further reading

Portuguese

Portuguese Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pt

Etymology

From Ancient Greek παρα- (para-, “alongside”) + εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “image”).

Pronunciation

 
 

  • Hyphenation: pa‧rei‧do‧li‧a

Noun

pareidolia f (plural pareidolias)

  1. pareidolia (tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar)
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