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pareidolia
[ pair-ahy-doh-lee-uh, pair-uh- ]
noun
- the illusory perception of meaningful patterns or images of familiar things in random or amorphous data, as a face seen on the moon.
pareidolia
/ ˌpæraɪˈdəʊlɪə /
noun
- the imagined perception of a pattern or meaning where it does not actually exist, as in considering the moon to have human features
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Word History and Origins
Origin of pareidolia1
First recorded in 1960–65; from German Pareidolien, plural of Pareidolie, equivalent to par(a)- 1( def ) + eidol(on) ( def ) + -ia ( def ), reinterpreted as a singular noun
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Word History and Origins
Origin of pareidolia1
C20: from para- 4+ eidolon
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