Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A mounted sentinel stationed in advance of an outpost.
  • noun A small scouting boat used to observe and report on an opposing naval force.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A sentinel on horseback stationed at some outpost or on an elevation to watch an enemy and give notice of danger.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A sentinel, usually on horseback, stationed on the outpost of an army, to watch an enemy and give notice of danger; a vidette.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A sentinel, usually on horseback, stationed on the outpost of an army, to watch an enemy and give notice of danger.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Italian vedetta, alteration (influenced by vedere, to see) of veletta, probably from Spanish vela, watch, from velar, to watch, from Latin vigilāre, to watch through the night, from vigil, awake; see weg- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French vedette.

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Examples

  • "vedette" of about 53,000 cubic feet displacement was built.

    Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War Frederick Arthur Ambrose Talbot

  • Public transport, such as the bus linking St Briac to St Malo (illenoo-services.fr), or the vedette (boat) taking you to St Malo every half-hour (vedettes-saint-malo.com), are reliable and cheap.

    Classic France: the insiders' guide 2011

  • Français · Colombie: Hiperbarrio, projet de jeunes Colombiens, en vedette sur Periodismo Ciudadano

    Global Voices in English » Colombia: Hiperbarrio Featured at Periodismo Ciudadano 2009

  • A lightly chastened Ghomeshi, thus reminded of who was actually the vedette of the interview, re-calibrated his focus.

    Archive 2009-04-01 2009

  • It also has telenovella queen Verónica Castro, former vedette Olga Breeskin and Manuel "Loco" Valdés.

    Archive 2010-01-01 splogman 2010

  • It also has telenovella queen Verónica Castro, former vedette Olga Breeskin and Manuel "Loco" Valdés.

    Bikinis y rock Bob 2010

  • After four or five meals (lunch/dinner/lunch/dinner -- and again lunch!) with the mussels en vedette* I must admit to breaking down and begging the child within to let me spring for a pricey island pizza -- you know, one with the works!

    moule - French Word-A-Day 2006

  • A vedette of Black Hussars leads the patrol into Gallian territory.

    Archive 2008-09-01 Der Alte Fritz 2008

  • After four or five meals (lunch/dinner/lunch/dinner -- and again lunch!) with the mussels en vedette* I must admit to breaking down and begging the child within to let me spring for a pricey island pizza -- you know, one with the works!

    French Word-A-Day: 2006

  • Tu es une vedette qui merite bien une place sur la tele francaise !

    in bed with petite 2007

Comments

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  • 1. Also called a vedette boat; a small naval launch used for scouting. 2. A mounted sentry in advance of the outposts of an army.

    February 8, 2008

  • "VEDETTE, a centry (sic) on horse back." (Counterpart on foot would be a picket.) Citation in list description.

    October 9, 2008