Droste effect

/ˈdɹɔstə əˈfɛkt/

noun

The effect of a picture appearing within itself recursively, so that the inner picture contains another even smaller picture, and so on.

Similar
mise en abyme
OriginDutch Droste ← German Droste →
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Meanings

nounDroste effect (plural Droste effects)

plural Droste effects

  1. The effect of a picture appearing within itself recursively, so that the inner picture contains another even smaller picture, and so on.

    Synonyms: mise en abyme

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe effect of a picture appearing within itself recursively, so that the inner picture contains another even smaller picture, and so on.

Similar
mise en abyme

Origin

  1. GermanDroste
  2. DutchDroste
  3. EnglishDroste effect

Droste + effect, from Dutch Droste, from German Droste. From the image used on Droste-brand cocoa powder, one of the main Dutch brands, of a nurse carrying a serving tray with a cup of hot chocolate and a box with the same image. Named after Dutch businessman Gerardus Johannes Droste who founded the company in 1863.

More words from Dutch, German

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Droste effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Droste%20effect

MLA

“Droste effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Droste%20effect. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Droste effect,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Droste%20effect.

Source: Droste effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.