A highlight

Origin

Before it described a spectacular moment, 'highlight' was an artist’s term, appearing in English as early as the late 17th century. It referred to the brightest parts of a painting or drawing—the areas where light most intensely strikes an object, making it stand out from the shadows. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this visual concept began to stretch beyond the canvas. People started using 'highlight' metaphorically, extending its meaning to the most striking or prominent features of a text, speech, or event. It was a natural leap: just as a painter uses light to draw the eye, a speaker or journalist could use the word to draw attention to the most important or exciting parts of a story, solidifying its place in our lexicon as a pointer to the best, brightest, and most memorable.