sil·hou·ette (sĭl'ū-ĕt')
n.

1. A drawing consisting of the outline of something, especially a human profile, filled in with a solid color.
2. An outline that appears dark against a light background. See synonyms at outline.

tr.v., -et·ted, -et·ting, -ettes.
To cause to be seen as a silhouette; outline: Figures were silhouetted against the setting sun.

[French, after Étienne de Silhouette (1709-1767), French finance minister.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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