Definition of silhouette

The word "silhouette" comes from the name of a French diplomat and finance minister, Étienne de Silhouette, who gained notoriety in the 18th century. This was due to his imposition of strict economic measures, such as restricting spending on luxuries, during a period of financial crisis. As a result, many people in France became bitter resentful of de Silhouette and began making caricatures of him by cutting out simple, black profile silhouettes against a white background. These became known as "silhouettes" in honor of the unpopular minister, and the term eventually came to refer to any image created in this way. Interestingly, the phrase itself is thought to have originated from the French word "sha-lowett" or "sha-lowette," which were pronunciations of "de Silhouette" in the French dialect spoken by the common people. Eventually, this term evolved into the French word "silhouette," and the English word "silhouette" was adopted from the French in the early 19th century.