efface

[ ih-feys ]

/ ɪˈfeɪs /

verb (used with object), ef·faced, ef·fac·ing.

to wipe out; do away with; expunge: to efface one's unhappy memories.

to rub out, erase, or obliterate (outlines, traces, inscriptions, etc.).

to make (oneself) inconspicuous; withdraw (oneself) modestly or shyly.

Nearby words

efate, efavirenz, eff, eff., effable, efface, effect, effecter, effective, effective conjugate, effective current

Origin of efface

From the Middle French word effacer, dating back to 1480–90. See ef-, face

Related forms

ef·face·a·ble, adjectiveef·face·ment, nounef·fac·er, nounun·ef·face·a·ble, adjective

un·ef·faced, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for effacement

The effacement, more or less complete, of the parietal or parieto-occipital sutures in a large number of criminals.
A Plea for the Criminal|James Leslie Allan Kayll
Same tactics, slightly varied, carried on to effacement of other wing of allied forces.
Punch, Or The London Charivari, Vol. 101, August 1, 1891|Various
An impression of passing away, of the effacement of individual life.
Memoirs of My Dead Life|George Moore
Its blind acceptance seals the resignation of the will and the intellect to effacement and stultification.
Liberalism|L. T. Hobhouse

The effacement of farms (and churches) in Hampshire, for the planting of the New Forest, had the same effect in a minor degree.
A History of Epidemics in Britain (Volume I of II)|Charles Creighton

British Dictionary definitions for effacement

efface

/ (ɪˈfeɪs) /

verb (tr)

to obliterate or make dimto efface a memory

to make (oneself) inconspicuous or humble through modesty, cowardice, or obsequiousness

to rub out (a line, drawing, etc); erase

Derived Forms

effaceable, adjectiveeffacement, nouneffacer, noun

Word Origin for efface

C15: from French effacer, literally: to obliterate the face; see face

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012