silhouette
Translation
silhouette, outline
Examples
I saw his silhouette in the doorway.
I saw his silhouette in the doorway.
The mountains formed a dark silhouette against the sky.
The mountains formed a dark silhouette against the sky.
Grammar Patterns
((the)) silhouette ((of sth.)) the dark shape of (sth.). I saw his silhouette in the doorway.
Similar Words
Synonyms: outline, shadow, profile
Etymology
Named after Étienne de Silhouette, an 18th-century French finance minister. Inexpensive cut-paper portraits were named after him as a comment on his austerity.
Memory Tips
Picture a dark shape against a bright background, like a person at sunset. The word itself looks elegant, like a French outline.