Word of the Day

: February 21, 2016

vignette

noun vin-YET

What It Means

1 : a running ornament or design (as of vine leaves, tendrils, and grapes) put on or just before a title page or at the beginning or end of a chapter

2 a : a picture (such as an engraving or photograph) that shades off gradually into the surrounding paper

b : the pictorial part of a postage stamp

3 a : a short descriptive literary sketch

b : a brief incident or scene (as in a play or movie)

vignette in Context

The film is a series of vignettes about people and their dogs.

"For years, Rory had been posting vignettes of his travels and care-free activities of himself, friends and family online to social media venues." — Stuart Cassidy, The Perry County News (Tell City, Indiana), 14 Jan. 2016

Did You Know?

Vignette comes from Middle French vignete, the diminutive form of the noun vigne, meaning "vine." In English, the word was first used in the mid-18th century for a design or illustration that ran along the blank border of a page, or one that marked the beginning or end of a chapter. Such designs got their name because they often looked like little vines. It wasn't until the late 19th century that usage of vignette had shifted to cover a brief literary sketch or narrative, as we commonly see it used today.