horror vacui

English

Works by French Renaissance engraver Jean Duvet such as this one, The Fall of Babylon, exhibit horror vacui.

Etymology

From Latin horror vacuī (“fear of empty space”), from horror (“horror, fear”) + vacuum (“vacuum”).

Noun

horror vacui (uncountable)

1. (historical, sciences) The Aristotelian principle that there are no vacuums in nature.
2. The abhorrence of a vacuum; the general tendency to dislike empty space.
   • 1991, Kant: Political Writings, →ISBN, page 212:

     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, […]

3. (art) 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.

Translations

Translations

Latin: natura abhorret a vacuo Polish: natura nie znosi próżni Portuguese: horror vacui m

Further reading

• horror vacui on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• horror vacui (physics) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Portuguese

Noun

horror vacui m (uncountable)

1. horror vacui (tendency to dislike empty space)
2. (art) horror vacui (tendency of an artist to fill an entire surface with detail)