Pinterest's crazy new search tool helps out when words fail you

For years now we have been using words to perform searches -- but words have their limitations. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and this is something that Pinterest has taken to heart with its latest search tool.

There are times when words fail us all. You might know exactly what it is you want to say, but you have no idea how to say it. To help on such occasions, Pinterest today unveils a "crazy-fun new visual search tool" that lets you select an object in an image to search for other pictures of it. Confused?

Over on the Pinterest blog, a couple of examples are given. Suppose you find a picture of a room in someone's house and fall in love with a lampshade they own. Or you might like the idea of buying the shoes someone is wearing in another photo. Now if you see something that piques your interest within a Pin, you can use the new search tool to select the relevant part of the image and perform a 'visual similarity' search for additional pictures.

Pinterest's Kevin Jing says:

When you spot something in a Pin that you want to learn more about, tap the search tool in the corner. Then select the part of the Pin you're interested in, and we'll show you Pins just like it. You can even filter your visual search results by topic so you find exactly what you're looking for.

So if you zoom in on that lamp, you can discover what it's called ("Antiqued Metal Funnel Pendant"), and where you can find it (Restoration Hardware). If you want to know more -- like how to get a table like that -- just resize your selection and move it around to instantly see more Pins.

The new feature rolls out to the web and mobile today.