pareidolia

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 6, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>pareidolia</strong> &#149; \pair-eye-DOH-lee-uh\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><em>Pareidolia</em> refers to the tendency to perceive a specific and often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern.</p> <p>// For those especially prone to <em>pareidolia</em>, a simple piece of toast can get distracting.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pareidolia">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“A key to interpersonal interactions is the ability to read facial expressions, which is why we are hardwired to recognise faces and often believe to see them even in random objects (this is called face <em>pareidolia</em>). Just as with faces, recognising social dynamics is largely innate and effortless.” — Damian K. F. Pang, <em>Psychology Today</em>, 14 May 2023 </p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>If you’ve ever spotted an image of a dog or a shoe in the clouds, you’ve exhibited what is called <em>pareidolia</em>, the tendency to perceive a meaningful image in a random pattern. <em>Pareidolia</em> emerged in English in 1962, borrowed from the German word <em>Pareidolie</em>, itself a combination of the Greek prefix <em>par-</em>, the Greek noun <em>eídōlon</em> (“image, reflection”), and the German suffix <em>-ie</em>. But although the word may be relatively new to English speakers, the concept is not. During the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Renaissance">Renaissance</a>, for example, artists such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Giuseppe-Arcimboldo">Giuseppe Arcimboldo</a>—who painted collections of fruits, vegetables, and other objects to look like human portraits—used pareidolia as a technique in their work, while <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leonardo-da-Vinci"