silhouette
See also: Silhouette and silhouetté
English
![](../I/m/Elisabeth_Herd.jpg)
A silhouette papercutting from 1771.
![](../I/m/Sunrise_2008-11-17_(3036974075).jpg)
Photographic silhouette, taken at sunrise.
![](../I/m/Blackskate.svg.png)
A silhouette of a skate.
Etymology
Borrowed from French silhouette, from the name of Étienne de Silhouette (1709-1767), a French politician. His surname, in turn, is (gallicized) Basque, from Ziloeta or Zilhoeta, from zulo (“hole, cave”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˌsɪ.lʊˈwɛt/, /ˌsɪ.ləˈwɛt/, /ˌsɪ.luːˈwɛt/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɛt
Noun
silhouette (plural silhouettes)
- An illustrated outline filled in with a solid color(s), usually only black, and intended to represent the shape of an object without revealing any other visual details; a similar appearance produced when the object being viewed is situated in relative darkness with brighter lighting behind it; a profile portrait in black, such as a shadow appears to be. [mid 19th c.]
- I could see a silhouette of a figure looking out from the window, but I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman.
Translations
representation of the outlines of an object filled in with a black color
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Verb
silhouette (third-person singular simple present silhouettes, present participle silhouetting, simple past and past participle silhouetted)
- To represent by a silhouette; to project upon a background, so as to be like a silhouette. [late 19th c.]
French
Etymology
From Silhouette, after Étienne de Silhouette, a French politician, from Basque.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /si.lwɛt/
Audio (silhouette) (file)
Verb
silhouette
- first-person singular present indicative of silhouetter
- third-person singular present indicative of silhouetter
- first-person singular present subjunctive of silhouetter
- third-person singular present subjunctive of silhouetter
- second-person singular imperative of silhouetter
External links
- “silhouette” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
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