pareidolia
/ˌpæɹ.aɪˈdəʊ.li.ə/
noun1
- The tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the observer, such as interpreting marks on Mars as canals, seeing shapes in clouds, or hearing hidden messages in music.
- This last is called by Dr. Kahlbaum, changing hallucination, partial hallucination, perception of secondary images, or pareidolia. — 1868
forms
pareidolias