silhouette

¹sil·hou·ette

noun \ˌsi-lə-ˈwet\

Definition of SILHOUETTE

1

: a likeness cut from dark material and mounted on a light ground or one sketched in outline and solidly colored in

2

: the outline of a body viewed as circumscribing a mass <the silhouette of a bird>

Examples of SILHOUETTE

1. the silhouettes of buildings against the sky
2. The buildings appeared in silhouette against the sky.
3. My piano teacher has a framed silhouette of Mozart on her wall.
4. a portrait of my mother done in silhouette
5. He admired the sports car's sleek silhouette.

Origin of SILHOUETTE

French, from Étienne de Silhouette †1767 French controller general of finances; perhaps from his ephemeral tenure

First Known Use: 1783

Related to SILHOUETTE

Synonyms

contour, figure, outline

Related Words

delineation, sketch; profile, skyline; cast, configuration, conformation, form, geometry, shape; framework, skeleton

See Synonym Discussion at outline

Other Fine Arts Terms

Gothic, baroque, bas-relief, limn, oeuvre, pastiche, rococo, sfumato

Rhymes with SILHOUETTE

aiguillette, alphabet, anisette, avocet, banneret, basinet, bassinet, bayonet, bobbinet, bouncing bet, briolette, burgonet, calumet, canzonet, castanet, cellarette, chemisette, cigarette, clarinet, Cook Inlet, coronet, corselet, dragonet, dresser set, electret, en brochette, epaulet, Ethernet, etiquette, falconet, farmerette, featurette, flageolet, flannelette, great egret, guillemet, heavyset, jaconet, Joliet, Juliet, kitchenette, landaulet, lanneret, launderette, leatherette, luncheonette, maisonette, majorette, marmoset, marquisette, martinet, mignonette, minaret, minuet, miquelet, netiquette, novelette, oubliette, parapet, paupiette, photoset, pirouette, plasma jet, quodlibet, rondelet, safety net, satinet, scilicet, sermonette, serviette, sobriquet, solleret, somerset, Somerset, soviet, space cadet, spinneret, statuette, stockinette, suffragette, superjet, swimmeret, taboret, teacher's pet, thermoset, towelette, trebuchet, tricolette, triple threat, underlet, usherette, vinaigrette, wagonette, web-offset

²silhouette

transitive verb

silhouett·edsilhouett·ing

Definition of SILHOUETTE

: to represent by a silhouette; also : to project on a background like a silhouette

— sil·hou·et·tist \-ˈwe-tist\ noun

Examples of SILHOUETTE

1. <in the photograph the majestic mountain is strikingly silhouetted against the setting sun>

First Known Use of SILHOUETTE

1876

Related to SILHOUETTE

Synonyms

define, delineate, outline, sketch, trace

Related Words

line; bound, fringe, margin, skirt; edge, hem, rim, trim; frame; circle, compass, encircle, girdle, girth, loop, ring, round, surround; chart, diagram, draw, map (out)

Other Fine Arts Terms

Gothic, baroque, bas-relief, limn, oeuvre, pastiche, rococo, sfumato

silhouette

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Silhouette portrait by Charles Willson Peale; in the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.—Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Outline image or design in a single solid, flat colour, giving the appearance of a shadow cast by a solid figure. The term is usually applied to profile portraits in black against white (or vice versa), either painted or cut from paper, especially popular c. 1750–1850 as the least expensive method of portraiture. The name derives from Étienne de Silhouette, Louis XV's finance minister, notorious for his frugality and his hobby of making cut-paper shadow portraits. In 17th-century Europe, shadow portraits and scenes were produced by drawing the outline cast by candlelight or lamplight; when paper became widely available, they were often cut out freehand directly from life. Photography rendered silhouettes nearly obsolete, and they became a type of folk art practiced by itinerant artists and caricaturists.