cameo
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cameo
- /ˈkæm.iː.əʊ/ UK
- /ˈkæm.i.oʊ/ US
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Italian cammeo, from Medieval Latin camaeus, of unknown origin. The movie sense is short for “cameo role” referring to a famous person who was playing no character, but him or herself. Like a cameo brooch — a low-relief carving of a person’s head or bust — the actor or celebrity is instantly recognizable. More recently, it has come to refer to any short appearances, whether as a character or as oneself. Doublet of camaieu.
noun cameos · cameoes · camei
- A piece of jewelry, etc., carved in relief. Aarfy's buxom trollop had vanished with her smutty cameo ring, and Nurse Duckett was ashamed of him because he had refused to fly more combat missions and would cause a scandal.
- A single very brief appearance, especially by a prominent celebrity in a movie or song. Famous comic book writer Stan Lee had a cameo in the Spider-Man movie. He was on screen for perhaps ten seconds, but aficionados distinctly remember him.
verb cameos · cameoing · cameoed
- To appear in a cameo role.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: parkway, onyx, sardonyx, camaieu, cameo ware, anaglyph, carving, cavo-rilievo, cavo-relievo, ectype, concho, gorge, carver, culasse, cornering, culet
Translations
Every language
noun relief work
| Español | camafeo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 带浮雕的珠宝 dàifúdiāo dì zhūbǎo |
| Português | camafeu |
| Français | camaïeu |
| Deutsch | Camée, Kamee |
| Italiano | cammeo |
| Română | camee |
| Русский | камея kameja |
noun brief appearance
| Español | cameo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | カメオ出演 kameo-shutsuen |
| 中文 | 客串出演 kèchuàn-chūyǎn |
| Français | caméo |
| Deutsch | Kurzauftritt, Cameo-Auftritt |
| Italiano | cammeo |
| Русский | камео kameo |
| עברית | הופעת קמע hofa'at kame'a |
Talk about this word "cameo." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cameo. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cameo. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cameo "cameo." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cameo.Cite this
@misc{cameo_2026,
title = {cameo},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cameo},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
