pareidolia
/ˌpæɹ.aɪˈdəʊ.li.ə/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.67 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "This last is called by Dr. Kahlbaum, changing hallucination, partial hallucination, perception of secondary images, or pareidolia."
- "Pareidolia underlies several forms of divination."
- "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.""
- "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."
Etymology
Borrowed from German Pareidolie, constructed from Ancient Greek παρα- (para-, “alongside”) + εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “image”) + -ία (-ía). By surface analysis, par- + eidolia.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: Pareidolie, παρα-
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /ˌpæɹ.aɪˈdəʊ.li.ə/