vignette means A running ornament consisting of leaves and tendrils, used in Gothic architecture. It carries an Arena rating of 1822, earned across 46 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, vignette ranks #184 of 42,789 for Qualifying, #373 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #781 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #932 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
vignette is pronounced /vɪnˈjɛt/.
Why “vignette” is a great word
A brief, evocative description, scene, or illustration that captures a mood or character detail rather than advancing a plot. From the French vignette, diminutive of vigne ("vine"), from the Latin vīnea ("vineyard, vine"), from vīnum ("wine"), first attested in English in 1751. Unlike an anecdote, which is a pointed story told for illustration, or a summary, which condenses facts, a vignette is an atmospheric sketch, a moment held under glass. It is the curl of steam from a late-night cup of coffee left untouched, the particular way dust motes hang in a slant of afternoon light, the remembered texture of a worn wool blanket—a vivid fragment from which a story is felt, lingering like the scent of wine long after the glass is empty.
Etymology
First attested in 1751. From French vignette, diminutive of vigne (“vine”), from Latin vīnea, from vīnum (“wine”). Replaced earlier Middle English vynet.
noun
- A running ornament consisting of leaves and tendrils, used in Gothic architecture.
- A decorative design, originally representing vine branches or tendrils, at the head of a chapter, of a manuscript or printed book, or in a similar position.
- Any small borderless picture in a book, especially an engraving, photograph, or the like, which vanishes gradually at the edge.
- A short story or anecdote that presents a scene or tableau, or paints a picture.e.g.“A particular classroom incident, and the vignette I used to portray it, had a significant impact on the interpretative framework for my research into scientific literacy.” — 2007, Peter Charles Taylor, John Wallace, Contemporary Qualitative Research, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 126:
- The central pictorial image on a postage stamp.
- The characteristic of a camera lens, either by deficiency in design or by mismatch of the lens with the film format, that produces an image smaller than the film's frame with a crudely focused border. Photographers may deliberately choose this characteristic for a special effect.
- Any effect in a photographic picture where qualities vanish towards the edges.
- A hardware deficiency (even occurring in most expensive models) of a computer display wherein the picture slants towards a colour or brightness towards the edges especially if viewed from an angle.
- A small sticker affixed to a vehicle windscreen to indicate that tolls have been paid.e.g.“In order to drive on Bulgarian roads outside Sofia you'll need to purchase a vignette which must be displayed in the windscreen.” — 2008, Sofia In Your Pocket, In Your Pocket, →ISBN, page 7:
verb
- To make, as an engraving or a photograph, with a border or edge gradually fading away.e.g.“Long minutes afterwards the sun disclosed itself, high above the earth's rim, over a vignetted bank of edgeless mist.” — 1922, T. E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Book Five, Chapter 68:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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