Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The dark grey colour seen by the eyes in perfect darkness, as a result of signals from the optic nerves.
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From German Eigengrau ‘intrinsic grey’.
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Examples
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UK who want it all are still perceived as a problem, not least The first scene of Penelope Skinner's suggestively titled play - eigengrau being the light within seemingly absolute blackness - is so well-written that it leaves you expecting too
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vendingmachine commented on the word eigengrau
The uniform dark gray background that many people report seeing in the absence of light. The term dates back to the nineteenth century but has rarely been used in recent scientific publications. Nowadays the phenomenon is more commonly referred to as "visual noise" or "background adaptation".
Eigengrau is perceived as lighter than a black object in normal lighting conditions because contrast is more important to the visual system than absolute brightness. For example, the night sky looks darker than eigengrau because of the contrast provided by the stars. -Wikipedia
July 28, 2015
qms commented on the word eigengrau
Old Homer the poet was blind
But, eyeless, had sight of a kind.
He managed somehow
To make eigengrau
Glow vivid with hues of the mind.
March 30, 2016