Join 📚 Kevin's Highlights
A batch of the best highlights from what Kevin's read, .
Remember to
be patient and kind to yourself,
and
celebrate your efforts,
no matter how small they are.
Goldilocks' Zone of Pressure
Swirling Visions
Eigengrau
ˈaɪɡənɡɹaʊ
*Noun*
• The dark gray color seen by the eyes in perfect darkness as a result of signals from the optic nerves.
**Example Sentences**
“Before my eyes adjusted to the dark, all I could see was eigengrau.”
“Henry awoke in the eigengrau of total darkness, so he quickly turned on his lamp.”
“The darkness of the sub-basement seemed eigengrau to my eyes.”
---
**Word Origin**
German, mid-20th century
---
**Why this word?**
“Eigengrau” is a German loanword used to describe the specific color of total darkness as perceived by human eyes.
Rather than black, the color that human optic nerves discern in pure darkness is a dark gray, which is why eigengrau is sometimes called “brain gray.”
Eigengrau is close to what might be called “charcoal gray,” but the word’s German roots specify that this is a gray created inside the viewer’s brain.
In German, “eigengrau” translates to “own gray,” or “intrinsic gray,” suggesting the shade might shift, depending on the viewer’s perception.

It's Okay to Outgrow
Swirling Visions
...catch up on these, and many more highlights