I. ˌsi-lə-ˈwet noun
Etymology: French, from Étienne de Silhouette died 1767 French controller general of finances; perhaps from his ephemeral tenure
Date: 1783
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
Synonyms: see outline
II. transitive verb
( -ett·ed ; -ett·ing )
Date: 1876
: to represent by a silhouette ; also : to project on a background like a silhouette
• sil·hou·et·tist -ˈwe-tist noun