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illustration Effigy

Effigy

[EF-ih-jee]

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 16th century

1.

A dummy of a disliked person or object

2.

A likeness of a person’s appearance on a monument, usually in sculpture form

Examples of Effigy in a sentence

"The rival high schools had a tradition of burning each other’s mascots in effigy before the game. "

"They erected an effigy of the first governor outside of the state house. "

About Effigy

You’re likely most familiar with the term “in effigy” to describe the ceremony of destroying a representation of a hated figure. But effigy can also be used as a term for any sort of monument that is a likeness of someone. The negative connotation has taken over, so be prepared for strange looks if you want to show off the effigy of your great-grandfather.

Did you Know?

Effigy can be traced back to the Latin verb “fingere,” which means to shape something. An effigy is a dummy or a sculpture, but there are other words that come from “fingere.” Fiction, figments, and figures all share the same shapely root.

illustration Effigy

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