Meaning
What does Out of Sight, Out of Mind mean?
Out of sight, out of mind reflects on humanity’s tendency to forget about people and things that are not present in their immediate environment.
Origin
What's the origin of Out of Sight, Out of Mind?
The expression can be traced back until the antique epic of Homer’s “Odyssey” which is dated back to the 7th or 8th century BCE.
“Out of sight out of mind” first appeared in English in the 1500’s, with the first print that contained it being John Heywood’s “A Dialogue Conteinyng the Nomber in Effect of All the Prouerbes in the Englishe Tongue”.
Spread & Usage
How did Out of Sight, Out of Mind spread?
Over the years, the phrase became one that is frequently used both in real life and in literary contexts.
“Out of sight out of mind” was first defined on Urban Dictionary in 2006.
External resources
- Merriam-Webster – Out of sight, out of mind