vignette

[ vin-yet ]

noun

1. a decorative design or small illustration used on the title page of a book or at the beginning or end of a chapter.
2. an engraving, drawing, photograph, or the like that is shaded off gradually at the edges so as to leave no definite line at the border.
3. a decorative design representing branches, leaves, grapes, or the like, as in a manuscript.
4. any small, pleasing picture or view.
5. a small, graceful literary sketch.

verb (used with object)

vignetted, vignetting.

1. Photography. to finish (a picture, photograph, etc.) in the manner of a vignette.

vignette

/ vɪˈnjɛt /

noun

1. a small illustration placed at the beginning or end of a book or chapter
2. a short graceful literary essay or sketch
3. a photograph, drawing, etc, with edges that are shaded off
4. architect a carved ornamentation that has a design based upon tendrils, leaves, etc
5. any small endearing scene, view, picture, etc

verb

1. to finish (a photograph, picture, etc) with a fading border in the form of a vignette
2. 1. to decorate with vignettes
   2. to portray in or as in a vignette

Derived Forms

• viˈgnettist, noun

Other Word Forms

• vi·gnettist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vignette¹

1745–55; < French: literally, little vine ( vine, -ette ); so called from vinelike decorations in early books

Word History and Origins

Origin of vignette¹

C18: from French, literally: little vine, from vigne vine ; with reference to the vine motif frequently used in embellishments to a text

Example Sentences

Its 13 vignettes - vivid snapshots of Indian village life - reflect his distinctive blend of Indian folk traditions and modernist influences.

From BBC

In an especially poignant vignette, Wolf recalled the last time he saw George Harrison.

From Salon

It’s one of many vignettes throughout the book that ground abstract lessons in particular details.

From Salon

It presents three imagined vignettes from the composer’s life.

From Los Angeles Times

The scenes play out like vignettes, with cuts to black in between each one — “like mini plays,” Soderbergh says, each revealing more about the family’s emotional turmoil and the ghost itself.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• scenario
• scene
• sketch