n., pl., tab·leaux vi·vants (tă-blō' vē-väN').
A scene presented on stage by costumed actors who remain silent and motionless as if in a picture.
[French : tableau, picture + vivant, living.]
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.