ombres chinoises

noun

A type of shadow puppetry where silhouettes of figures, often cardboard cutouts, are projected onto a screen to tell stories.

OriginFrench ombres chinoises →
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Meanings

nounombres chinoises pl (plural only)
  1. historicalpluralplural onlyentertainmentA type of shadow puppetry where silhouettes of figures, often cardboard cutouts, are projected onto a screen to tell stories.

Origin

  1. Frenchombres chinoises
  2. Englishombres chinoises

From French ombres chinoises (literally “Chinese shadows”).

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

ombres chinoises. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ombres%20chinoises

MLA

“ombres chinoises.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ombres%20chinoises. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ombres chinoises,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ombres%20chinoises.

Source: ombres chinoises on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.