Disassociated

I've heard other's describe this phenomenon, too: you see an everyday word in a book or on a sign and suddenly it floats free of its meaning and looks totally new and alien.

Today it was the word "Happy" seen on back-to-back subway posters for "Pursuit of Happyness" (wtf to that spelling. I'm-a killing you) and "Happy Feet".

The word suddenly looked meaningless and obscure. It felt like a neologism for "arduously encumbered" or "making a noise like a duck".