shadow-box

Noun

shadowbox (plural shadowboxes)

1. A diorama or shallow display case, usually with a glass front.
   • Simply constructed of wood, a shadowbox sign frame 6 inches deep, 11 inches wide and 70 inches long is suspended over the stairway of the Scott Sotre, 124 Fifth Avenue, Jamestown, N.D.1936 May, “Shadowbox Tops Stairs”, in Chain Store Age, volume 12
2. A rectangular display area that is set off with a frame or drop shadow.
   • This book will show you how to make fabulous origami shadowbox frames to display your art in a beautiful and original way!2013, Yuri Shumakov, Katrin Shumakov, Origami Shadowbox Frames: Original Approach to Display Your Art
3. A box with a light inside used for reading X-ray images.
   • Q. All right. Would they be of any significance in showing the jury through a shadowbox? A. I think they helped confirm the diagnosis.1962, Records and Briefs New York State Appellate Division, page 475
4. A shade that surrounds a lit display or screen to make it easier to read in bright environments.
   • In cases where it is difficult or impossible to reduce room illumination to this value, viewing of the projected image may be improved by providing the screen with a light shield, commonly known as a shadowbox .1947, The Architects Manual of Engineered Sound Systems, page 87

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