opsign
/ˈɒpˌsaɪn/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Particularly in Gilles Deleuze's cinematic philosophy, a pure optical image that exists independently of any immediate action or narrative progression. Deleuze introduced this concept to describe moments in cinema where the visual element stands alone, detached from the traditional cause-and-effect structure of storytelling.
Example Sentences
- "Opsigns and sonsigns are direct presentation of time."
- "By presenting purely optical and sound situations in which no action is involved, opsigns and sonsigns place time at the centre of the cinematic image."
- "Thus, instead of what Deleuze had described as perception-images, affection-images, action-images, and mental images (all types of movement-image), there are now “opsigns” and “sonsigns” which resist movement-image differentiation."
Etymology
Origin
- Source language: Greek
Word Breakdown
- Root: ὄψις