Meanings
nounAmes trapezoid (plural Ames trapezoids)
plural Ames trapezoids
- An optical illusion in which a trapezoid, subdivided into squares to look like a paned window, and made to rotate, appears to be a rectangle.
Synonyms: Ames window
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn optical illusion in which a trapezoid, subdivided into squares to look like a paned window, and made to rotate, appears to be a rectangle.
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Origin
Discovered by American ophthalmologist Adelbert Ames, Jr. in 1947.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Ames trapezoid. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ames%20trapezoid
MLA
“Ames trapezoid.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ames%20trapezoid. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Ames trapezoid,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ames%20trapezoid.
Source: Ames trapezoid on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.