greeble

Meanings

1. A small piece of detailing added to break up the surface of an object and add visual interest, particularly in movie special effects.
2. Any of a set of invented novel objects used as stimuli in psychological studies of object and face recognition.
3. (informal, whimsical) An imaginary or invisible creature, such as a bug or spirit, that a cat or other pet is perceived to be chasing or reacting to, often characterized by sudden, frantic movements as if hunting something unseen.

1. To add greebles to a surface.

Etymology

* A neologism that was originally coined and used by the prop-makers from Industrial Light & Magic while working on production of the original Star Wars film. * The objects in psychology were named by the American psychologist Robert Abelson.