Afterimpression

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A residual effect or image that remains following a stimulus can affect future perceptions
2. The lasting trace that exists after a stimulus is removed may alter recollections and thoughts
3. A lingering effect that persists after an initial experience can influence subsequent feelings and interpretations

Etymology: The word is a plain English compound: "after-" attached to "impression," so it names an impression that comes after another. "After" descends from Old English "æfter," which traces back to a common Germanic ancestor sharing roots with the ideas of "behind" and "later." "Impression" arrived in English through Old French "impression," from Latin "impressiō," a noun built on "imprimere," meaning to press something into a surface, which is why an impression is literally a mark pressed in. The compound adds a sense of delayed effect to that pressing. A stimulus leaves its mark, and the afterimpression is the trace that lingers once the stimulus has gone. Because the mark persists, it can colour what the mind registers next, which is why the term is used in discussions of perception.