vedette
noun
[ vɪˈdɛt ]
• a mounted sentry positioned beyond an army's outposts to observe the movements of the enemy.
• a leading star of stage, screen, or television.
• "he's now a big-time TV vedette"
Origin:
late 17th century: from French, literally ‘scout’, from an alteration of southern Italian veletta, perhaps based on Spanish velar ‘keep watch’.
