effigy

[ ef-i-jee ]

/ ˈɛf ɪ dʒi /

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See synonyms for: effigy / effigies on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural ef·fi·gies.

a representation or image, especially sculptured, as on a monument.

a crude representation of someone disliked, used for purposes of ridicule.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about effigy

in effigy, in public view in the form of an effigy: a leader hanged in effigy by the mob.

Origin of effigy

1530–40; (<Middle French ) <Latin effigia, equivalent to effig- (ef-ef- + fig- shape, form; see figure) + -ia-y³

OTHER WORDS FROM effigy

ef·fig·i·al

[ih-fij-ee-uhl], /ɪˈfɪdʒ i əl/, adjective

Words nearby effigy

efficiency expert, efficient, efficient cause, efficiently, Effie, effigy, effing, Effingham, effleurage, effloresce, efflorescence

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use effigy in a sentence

In South Carolina, he “appeared suspended, on a gallows seventy feet high” to the right of another stamp collector’s effigy.
The revolutionary roots of satanic panic still invoked in American politics|Zara Anishanslin|August 5, 2022|Washington Post
It was a festive affair, with a balloon ascending to the sky and effigies of infamous abolitionists to burn along with the newspapers below their feet.
The Tormented Rise of Abolition in 1830’s America|J. D. Dickey|March 1, 2022|Time
That is why, on those great careening carts Americans hauled through town on Pope’s Day, the pontiff himself, and his hellish master, were made in effigy looking ridiculous, but also monstrous, dressed in tar and feathers.
Before July 4, American colonists celebrated Pope’s Day — an anti-Catholic rallying cry|Grant Stanton|July 2, 2021|Washington Post
Picket signs decried IBM customers in Texas as “traitors,” while the University of Wisconsin YAF hung a cardboard effigy of a computer outside of the Madison office.
Conservatives have long embraced ‘cancel culture’|Lauren Lassabe|April 16, 2021|Washington Post

They lit candles at their windows and in front of the many effigies of Maradona that dot Napoli’s streets and its homes, often alongside saints.
In Maradona, the world mourns a legend—but Naples mourns a part of itself|Annalisa Merelli|November 27, 2020|Quartz
Somebody built an effigy of President Peña Nieto that was 20 feet high.
Mexican Protesters Look to Start a New Revolution|Jason McGahan|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When the civilian President Maduro burns in effigy, soldiers can still warm their hands around the flames.
Venezuela’s Security Forces: A Killer Elite Beyond the Law|Marcel Ventura|April 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Meanwhile, in South Yorkshire, anti-Thatcher activists burned an effigy of the controversial leader.
Overlooked Stories of the Week: Torture Report, Venezuela & More|Nina Strochlic|April 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If diplomatic relations keep deteriorating, an effigy of the queen may not be far behind.
Iranian Riots at British Embassy Portend Troubling Isolationism|Babak Dehghanpisheh|November 30, 2011|DAILY BEAST
In May, an effigy of FitzPatrick was burned on the streets of Dublin.
The Men Who Killed the Economy|Niall Stanage|November 19, 2010|DAILY BEAST
This was that Alderman Henry Smith whose tomb and effigy are so conspicuous in the parish church.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
Even if they failed to obtain it the funeral rites were duly paid to an effigy of the deceased.
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow
Sedgrave, the mayor, who had sat quiet during the former service, produced a rosary and prayed openly before the bloody effigy.
Ireland Under the Tudors, Vol. II (of 3)|Richard Bagwell
It has his effigy in armour, with an ermined mantle, his feet leaning against a lion couchant.
East Anglia|J. Ewing Ritchie
The last flickering embers of the burning effigy died out and the scene was almost dark.
Tom Fairfield's Schooldays|Allen Chapman

British Dictionary definitions for effigy

effigy

/ (ˈɛfɪdʒɪ) /

noun plural -gies

a portrait of a person, esp as a monument or architectural decoration

a crude representation of someone, used as a focus for contempt or ridicule and often hung up or burnt in public (often in the phrases burn or hang in effigy)

Derived forms of effigy

effigial (ɪˈfɪdʒɪəl), adjective

Word Origin for effigy

C18: from Latin effigiēs, from effingere to form, portray, from fingere to shape

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with effigy

effigy

see in effigy.

effigy

Idioms about effigy

Origin of effigy

OTHER WORDS FROM effigy

Words nearby effigy

Words related to effigy

How to use effigy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for effigy

Derived forms of effigy

Word Origin for effigy

Other Idioms and Phrases with effigy