silhouette

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: sil=hou=ette

CIDE DICTIONARY

silhouette, n. [F.; -- so called from Etienne de Silhoutte, a French minister of finance in 1759, whise diversion it was to make such portraits on the walls of his apartments.].

 A representation of the outlines of an object filled in with a black color; a profile portrait in black, such as a shadow appears to be.  [1913 Webster]

silhouette, v. t. 

 To represent by a silhouette; to project upon a background, so as to be like a silhouette.  [1913 Webster]
"A flock of roasting vultures silhouetted on the sky."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

silhouette, n. & v.
--n.
1 a representation of a person or thing showing the outline only, usu. done in solid black on white or cut from paper.
2 the dark shadow or outline of a person or thing against a lighter background.
--v.tr. represent or (usu. in passive) show in silhouette.

Idiom

in silhouette seen or placed in outline.

Etymology

{Eacute}tienne de Silhouette, Fr. author and politician d. 1767

THESAURUS

silhouette

adumbration, black and white, broad lines, brouillon, cartoon, charcoal, charcoal drawing, chiaroscuro, configuration, contour, crayon, dark shade, delineate, delineation, design, diagram, doodle, draft, drawing, ebauche, echo, esquisse, features, figuration, figure, framework, galbe, gestalt, gloom, graph, head, limn, line, line drawing, lineaments, lineation, lines, main features, mere shadow, miniature, outline, pastel, pen-and-ink, pencil drawing, penumbra, portrait, portraiture, portrayal, profile, reflection, reflex, relief, rough copy, rough draft, rough outline, shade, shadiness, shadow, shadows numberless, shapes, silver-print drawing, sinopia, skeleton, sketch, skiagram, skiagraph, study, tournure, tracing, umbra, umbrage, umbrageousness, vignette

ROGET THESAURUS

silhouette

Outline

N outline, circumference, perimeter, periphery, ambit, circuit, lines tournure, contour, profile, silhouette, bounds, coast line, zone, belt, girth, band, baldric, zodiac, girdle, tyre, cingle, clasp, girt, cordon, circlet.

Painting

N painting, depicting, drawing, design, perspective, sciagraphy, skiagraphy, chiaroscuro, composition, treatment, historical painting, portrait painting, miniature painting, landscape painting, marine painting, still life, flower painting, scene painting, scenography, school, style, the grand style, high art, genre, portraiture, ornamental art, monochrome, polychrome, grisaille, pallet, palette, easel, brush, pencil, stump, black lead, charcoal, crayons, chalk, pastel, paint, watercolor, body color, oil color, oils, oil paint, varnish, priming, gouache, tempera, distemper, fresco, water glass, enamel, encaustic painting, mosaic, tapestry, photography, heliography, color photography, sun painting, graphics, computer graphics, picture, painting, piece, tableau, canvas, oil painting, fresco, cartoon, easel picture, cabinet picture, draught, draft, pencil drawing, water color drawing, etching, charcoal, pen-and-ink, sketch, outline, study, photograph, color photograph, black-and-white photograph, holograph, heliograph, daguerreotype, talbotype, calotype, heliotype, negative, positive, print, glossy print, matte print, enlargement, reduction, life-size print, instant photo, Polaroid photo, technicolor, Kodachrome, Ektachrome, Polaroid, portrait, whole length, full length, half length, kitcat, head, miniature, shade, silhouette, profile, landscape, seapiece, view, scene, prospect, panorama, diorama, still life, picture gallery, exhibit, studio, atelier, pinacotheca, painted, pictorial, graphic, picturesque, pencil, oil, in pencil, fecit, delineavit, mutum est pictura poema.