effacement

[ ih-feys-muhnt ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the act of wiping out, erasing, or doing away with something:
The gradual effacement of ethnic differences has often been seen as a solution to the difficulties experienced by immigrants.
the act or habit of humbly keeping oneself in the background; self-effacement:
There's nothing showy about the way this author writes; a sort of vast humility and effacement echoes through the whole book.
Medicine/Medical. the thinning of bodily tissue, especially of the cervix to prepare for childbirth:
Cervical effacement is usually nearly complete before the first phase of labor.

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