Definition of "backlight" []

• A type of spotlight, used in photography, that illuminates a subject from behind. (noun)
• To light from behind: The photographer backlit the subject for a dramatic effect. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The lack of a backlight is a huge disadvantage, IMO, but what can you do but wait for Kindle 3."
• "Machine goes off, comes back, they reseated the video cable (which I had already done) and out of the box it fails … and has a new problem where the backlight is now permanently on."
• "Everything is working fine apart from the 'backlight' - i.e. I can still see the screen (and operate it fully) BUT only if I get it in the light."