Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Vignette

Vignette (?; 277) , noun

[French vignette, from vigne a vine. See Vine, and compare Vinette.]

1.
(Architecture) A running ornament consisting of leaves and tendrils, used in Gothic architecture.
2.
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; hence, by extension, any small picture in a book; hence, also, as such pictures are often without a definite bounding line, any picture, as an engraving, a photograph, or the like, which vanishes gradually at the edge.
3.
A picture, illustration, or depiction in words, esp. one of a small or dainty kind.

Vignette , transitive verb

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