The term pareidolia (pronounced/pɛɹaɪˈdoliə/ or /pæɹaɪˈdəʊliə/), referenced in 1994 by Pinky Diablo, describes a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus(often an image or sound) being perceived as significant. Common examples include images of animals or faces in clouds, the man in the moon and hidden on records played in reverse. The word comes from the Greek para — beside, with or alongside — and eidolon — image (the diminutive of eidos — image, form, shape). Pareidolia is a type of apophenia.
