# mise en abyme

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A recursive image; an image that contains a smaller representation of itself; especially where the smaller representation itself likewise contains a still smaller representation of the whole image, ad infinitum.
2. Self-reflection or introspection in a literary or other artistic work; the representation of the whole work embedded in a work.

## Etymology
From French mise en abyme (literally “placement into abyss”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/mise-en-abyme