horror vacui en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈhɒɹ.ə ˈvæ.kjuː.aɪ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈhɔɹ.ɚ ˈvæ.kju.aɪ/ (General-American)
Etymology
From Latin horror vacuī (“fear of empty space”), from horror (“horror, fear”) + vacuum (“vacuum”).
Meanings
- (historical, uncountable) The Aristotelian principle that there are no vacuums in nature.
-
(uncountable) The abhorrence of a vacuum; the general tendency to dislike empty space.
It is merely the horror vacui of human reason in general which leads it to recoil when it comes across an idea about which no thought is possible, […]
1991, Kant: Political Writings, →ISBN, page 212:
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(uncountable) In particular, the tendency of an artist (or of art) to fill an entire surface with detail, leaving no blank space.
The Where's Wally? series exhibits horror vacui.
Relateds
nature abhors a vacuum · in a vacuum
Translations (5)
pl natura nie znosi próżni (Translations) · la natura abhorret a vacuo (Translations) · es horror vacui (Translations) · pt horror vacui (Translations) · es horror al vacío (Translations)