effigy

[ ef-i-jee ]
See synonyms for: effigyeffigies on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural ef·fi·gies.
  1. a representation or image, especially sculptured, as on a monument.

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

Idioms about effigy

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

Origin of effigy

1
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

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How to use effigy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for effigy

effigy

/ (ˈɛfɪdʒɪ) /


nounplural -gies
  1. a portrait of a person, esp as a monument or architectural decoration

  2. 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)

Origin of effigy

1
C18: from Latin effigiēs, from effingere to form, portray, from fingere to shape

Derived forms of effigy

  • effigial (ɪˈfɪdʒɪəl), adjective

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.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.