Word of the Day
pareidolia
noun
the illusory perception of meaningful patterns or images of familiar things in random or amorphous data, as a face seen on the moon.
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Why Dictionary.com chose pareidolia
More about pareidolia
- First recorded in 1960–65.
- Comes from German Pareidolien, plural of Pareidolie.
- Pareidolie is formed from par(a)– “at the side of; beside; beyond,” and eidol(on) “phantom; apparition.”
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EXAMPLES OF PAREIDOLIA
- The excitement grew as the researchers discovered what appeared to be pareidolia in the data collected from deep space.
- As I stared at the clouds, I experienced pareidolia and saw a bunny shape formed by their fluffy contours.
gullywasher
noun
a usually short, heavy rainstorm.
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Why Dictionary.com chose gullywasher
More about gullywasher
- First recorded in 1900–05.
- Used primarily in Midland and Western United States dialects of English.
- Gully comes from gullet, “the throat,” which comes from French.
- Washer comes from the English verb wash, recorded before 900.
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EXAMPLES OF GULLYWASHER
- The farmers rejoiced as the gullywasher replenished their parched fields.
- The residents of the desert town knew to brace themselves whenever dark clouds gathered on the horizon, signaling an imminent gullywasher.
buttonhole
verb
to abruptly detain someone in conversation.
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Why Dictionary.com chose buttonhole
More about buttonhole
- First recorded in 1555–65.
- Formed from the words button and hole.
- Button comes from butt, meaning “to push or strike something.”
- Hole comes from Old English hol, meaning “hole, cave.”
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EXAMPLES OF BUTTONHOLE
- The enthusiastic salesperson, eager to showcase the latest products, buttonholed the customer as they entered the store.
- I was in a rush to catch my train, but my colleague buttonholed me in the hallway to discuss a new project.
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