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.
Origin of pareidolia
1Words Nearby pareidolia
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for pareidolia
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
Origin of pareidolia
1C20: from para- 4 + eidolon
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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