horror vacui

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

Meaning

Noun

The Aristotelian principle that there are no vacuums in nature.
The abhorrence of a vacuum; the general tendency to dislike empty space.
In particular, the tendency of an artist (or of art) to fill an entire surface with detail, leaving no blank space.

Origin

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

Modern English dictionary

Explore and search massive catalog of over 900,000 word meanings.

Word of the Day

Get a curated memorable word every day.

Challenge yourself

Level up your vocabulary by setting personal goals.

And much more

Try out Vedaist now.