vignette

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.

(by extension) Any small borderless picture in a book, especially an engraving, photograph, or the like, which vanishes gradually at the edge.

(by extension) A short story or anecdote that presents a scene or tableau, or paints a picture.

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, to produce an image smaller than the film's frame with a crudely focused border. Photographers may deliberately choose this characteristic for a special effect.

A small sticker affixed to a vehicle windscreen to indicate that tolls have been paid.

To make, as an engraving or a photograph, with a border or edge gradually fading away.