silhouette

[ sil-oo-et ]

noun

1. a two-dimensional representation of the outline of an object, as a cutout or configurational drawing, uniformly filled in with black, especially a black-paper, miniature cutout of the outlines of a person's face in profile.
2. the outline or general shape of something:

   the slim silhouette of a skyscraper.

3. a dark image outlined against a lighter background.

verb (used with object)

, sil·hou·et·ted, sil·hou·et·ting.

1. to show in or as if in a silhouette.
2. Printing. to remove the background details from (a halftone cut) so as to produce an outline effect.

silhouette

/ ˌsɪluːˈɛt /

noun

1. the outline of a solid figure as cast by its shadow
2. an outline drawing filled in with black, often a profile portrait cut out of black paper and mounted on a light ground

verb

1. tr to cause to appear in silhouette

Other Words From

• unsil·hou·etted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of silhouette¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; from French à la silhouette, after Etienne de Silhouette (1709–67), French finance minister; the surname Silhouette is ultimately from Basque Zilhoeta, from zilo, zilho, zulo “hole” + -eta, toponymic suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of silhouette¹

C18: named after Étienne de Silhouette (1709–67), French politician, perhaps referring to silhouettes as partial portraits, with a satirical allusion to Silhouette's brief career as controller general (1759)

Example Sentences

I’ve been recycling materials, upcycling materials, into this lounge chair silhouette.

From Los Angeles Times

The lounge silhouette is super comfortable, and over time it molds to you.

From Los Angeles Times

So wrapping the body of a fake seal in bright, horizontally striped LED lights seems to break the silhouette into smaller pieces that no longer look like a seal, said researcher Nathan Hart, head of the School of Natural Sciences at Macquarie University in Sydney.

From Los Angeles Times

Still others have marketed black-and-white striped wetsuits based on a theory similar to that behind the LED lights: disrupting the prey-like silhouette.

From Los Angeles Times

If strung vertically, along the length of the fake seal’s body, the lights don’t do enough to disrupt the silhouette visible from below.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• contour
• likeness
• portrait
• shade
• shadow
• shape