Easter egg en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
- /ˈiː.stəɹ ˌɛɡ/
Etymology
From Easter + egg. Cognate with German Low German Ooosterei (“Easter egg”), Middle High German ōsterei ("Easter egg"; > modern German Osterei). So called because eggs would be eaten during Easter to break the fasting during Lent. (No eggs, dairy, meat except fish, lard, or foods containing these ingredients could be eaten during Lent.) The computing sense is from the early 1980s, popularized by the video game Adventure.
Meanings
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A dyed or decorated egg, traditionally associated with Easter and, in the Western European tradition, sometimes hidden for children to find.
Because eggs were inexpensive in most regions, the practice of decorating Easter eggs crossed all social classes and remained somewhat simple.
2009, Ace Collins, chapter 23, in Stories Behind the Traditions and Songs of Easter:
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A chocolate confection in the shape of an egg, sometimes with chocolates or sweets inside.
I reached the first fork in the tree and there they lay—several melted Easter eggs[…] Quickly I tore open the foil and licked the melted chocolate until there wasn't a trace left on the paper.
2008, Christel Behnke Gehlert, Recollections of a Hamburger: Growing Up German, 1941-1962, page 143:
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An undocumented function hidden in a program or video game, typically triggered by a particular input sequence or combination of keystrokes.
Once found, the Easter egg will often enable the player to traverse through the game much more rapidly the second time around.
2011, Myint Swe Khine, Learning to Play: Exploring the Future of Education with Video Games, page 59:an Easter egg that displays the names of the application's development team
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(broadly) Any image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc or in a movie, trailer, or poster.
For the Best of Bowie DVD release, APl even concealed an Easter egg within a hidden extra.
2004, Michael Burns, George Cairns, Designing DVD Menus: How to Create Professional-Looking DVDs:Unlike an allusion — a tip of the hat to a previous work — an Easter egg, when found, is an anachronistic disruption, an anti-mimetic breaking of the fourth wall to make room for a joke, clue or grievance.
2023 January 13, Nick Haramis, “When Did We All Become Pop Culture Detectives?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:The repeated appearance of a number as an Easter egg is not a new concept for J.J., Burky or those other members of Lost Labs who previously worked on Alias.
2008, Jon Lachonis, Amy Johnston, chapter 16, in "Lost" Ate My Life: The Inside Story of a Fandom Like No Other:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easter eggs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Russian Easter egg · Ukrainian Easter egg · Easter Egger · Easter-eggy · Easter-Egger · Easter egg hunt
Synonyms
Translations (115)
de Osterei (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · ar بَيْضَة عِيد اَلْفِصْح (a dyed or decorated egg) · tr paskalya yumurtası (a dyed or decorated egg) · de Osterei (a dyed or decorated egg) · cmn 彩蛋 (image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc or in a movie) · uk пасха́льне яйце́ (a dyed or decorated egg) · sv påskägg (an undocumented function hidden in a program) · nl chocolade-ei (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · ru пасха́лка (an undocumented function hidden in a program) · ru пасхалка (image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc or in a movie) · sv påskägg (image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc or in a movie) · eo paska ovo (a dyed or decorated egg) · nn sjokoladeegg (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · fi pääsiäismuna (a dyed or decorated egg) · nn påskeegg (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · de Easter Egg (image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc or in a movie) · ja イースターエッグ (a dyed or decorated egg) · sh ускршње јаје (a dyed or decorated egg) · lo ໄຂ່ອີສເຕີ (a dyed or decorated egg) · sk kraslica (a dyed or decorated egg) · uk пи́санка (a dyed or decorated egg) · yue 復活蛋 /复活蛋 (a dyed or decorated egg) · cs kraslice (a dyed or decorated egg) · ga cúbóg (a dyed or decorated egg) · ru пасха́льное яйцо́ (an undocumented function hidden in a program) · it uovo di Pasqua (a dyed or decorated egg) · nb påskeegg (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · ca ou de pasqua (an undocumented function hidden in a program) · nn påskeegg (image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc or in a movie) · be веліко́днае я́йка (a dyed or decorated egg) · sv påskägg (a dyed or decorated egg) · ca ou de pasqua (image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc or in a movie) · is páskaegg (a dyed or decorated egg) · sh uskršnje jaje (a dyed or decorated egg) · fi pääsiäismuna (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · ru пасха́льное яйцо́ (a dyed or decorated egg) · nb påskeegg (an undocumented function hidden in a program) · it Easter egg (image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc or in a movie) · es huevo de Pascua (a dyed or decorated egg) · de Schokoei (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · pl easter egg (an undocumented function hidden in a program) · cy ŵy Pasg (a dyed or decorated egg) · pl jajko wielkanocne (a dyed or decorated egg) · nb sjokoladeegg (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · ga clúdóg (a dyed or decorated egg) · nl paasei (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · nb påskeegg (image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc or in a movie) · is páskaegg (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · sv påskägg (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · lo ສິ່ງທີ່ເຊື່ອງໄວ້ (image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc or in a movie) · hy զատկի ձու (a dyed or decorated egg) · yue 復活蛋 /复活蛋 (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · da påskeæg (a dyed or decorated egg) · sl velikonôčno jájce (a dyed or decorated egg) · mr ईस्टर एग (an undocumented function hidden in a program) · ru писанка (a dyed or decorated egg) · hu csokoládétojás (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · hrx Oostreeu (a dyed or decorated egg) · ru крашенка (a dyed or decorated egg) · hu easter egg (an undocumented function hidden in a program) · fi suklaamuna (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · cmn 復活節彩蛋 /复活节彩蛋 (a dyed or decorated egg) · gd ugh na Càisge (a dyed or decorated egg) · fo páskaegg (a dyed or decorated egg) · es huevo pascual (an undocumented function hidden in a program) · pl easter egg (image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc or in a movie) · th ไข่อีสเตอร์ (a dyed or decorated egg) · pl kraszanka (a dyed or decorated egg) · sh писаница (a dyed or decorated egg) · el πασχαλινό αβγό (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · ko 부활절 달걀 (a dyed or decorated egg) · fy Peaske-aai (a dyed or decorated egg) · id telur Paskah (a dyed or decorated egg) · sl písanica (a dyed or decorated egg) · es huevo pascual (image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc or in a movie) · dsb jatšowne jajo (a dyed or decorated egg) · lb Ouschteree (a dyed or decorated egg) · be фарбаванка (a dyed or decorated egg) · sh pisanica (a dyed or decorated egg) · es huevo pascual (a dyed or decorated egg) · da påskeæg (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · sl pirh (a dyed or decorated egg) · lb Ouschteree (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · uk велико́днє яйце́ (a dyed or decorated egg) · es huevo pascual (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · cs velikonoční vejce (a dyed or decorated egg) · eo kaŝitaĵo (image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc or in a movie) · nn påskeegg (a dyed or decorated egg) · ro ou de Paști (a dyed or decorated egg) · nb påskeegg (a dyed or decorated egg) · it uovo di Pasqua (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · pt ovo de Páscoa (a dyed or decorated egg) · ga ubh Chásca (a dyed or decorated egg) · mt Bajda ta’ l-Għid (a dyed or decorated egg) · et lihavõttemuna (a dyed or decorated egg) · gd ugh na Càisge (a chocolate confection in the shape of an egg) · de Easter Egg (an undocumented function hidden in a program) · nn påskeegg (an undocumented function hidden in a program) · th สิ่งที่ซ่อนอยู่ (image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc or in a movie) · gl ovo de Pascua (a dyed or decorated egg) · ar بَيْضَة اَلْفِصْح (a dyed or decorated egg) · vi trứng Phục Sinh (a dyed or decorated egg) · ms telur Easter (a dyed or decorated egg) · pl pisanka (a dyed or decorated egg) · fr œuf de Pâques (a dyed or decorated egg) · bg великденско яйце́ (a dyed or decorated egg) · sk veľkonočné vajce (a dyed or decorated egg) · sl pisanka (a dyed or decorated egg) · ca ou de Pasqua (a dyed or decorated egg) · hu húsvéti tojás (a dyed or decorated egg) · el πασχαλινό αβγό (a dyed or decorated egg) · mk велигденско јајце (a dyed or decorated egg) · af paaseier (a dyed or decorated egg) · nl paasei (a dyed or decorated egg) · fi pääsiäismuna (an undocumented function hidden in a program)