Meaning
A brief appearance by a well-known person in a play, film, show or broadcast, smaller than a supporting role and prized exactly for its brevity; by extension, any short, striking guest appearance, often unannounced. Frequently shortened to 'a cameo'. Positive, even glamorous; it implies star value packed into a very small space. Regional use: General English (theatrical and film origin).
Origin
A cameo is a gem carved in relief, a word in English from the early 15th century via Old French camaieu and Medieval Latin cammaeus, of unknown deeper origin. Because such gems were small, polished and finely worked, 'cameo' transferred by 1851 to mean a short literary sketch or portrait (Etymonline). The theatrical sense followed: Etymonline dates 'brief appearance by a noted performer' to 1928, building on 'a small character part that stands out from the other minor parts', the 1920s 'cameo role' that Wikipedia, citing the OED, likewise derives from the literary-sketch sense. The 1956 film Around the World in 80 Days, whose posters framed its star guests in oval insets like gems set in jewellery, is credited with giving the term wide circulation outside the profession. Every link in the chain (gem, literary sketch, brief but polished role) is dictionary-documented, so the derivation is unusually secure for a show-business idiom.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- a cameo
- cameo appearance
- cameo part
- cameo role
- make a cameo
Usage Examples
- The director makes a cameo appearance as the bus driver in nearly every film she makes.
- Fans cheered when the retired champion made a cameo appearance in the sequel's locker-room scene.
- His unannounced cameo appearance at the wedding became the story everyone retold for years.