effigy

noun

ef·​fi·​gy ˈe-fə-jē How to pronounce effigy (audio)
plural effigies
: an image or representation especially of a person
especially : a crude figure representing a hated person
Phrases
in effigy
: publicly in the form of an effigy
the football coach was burned in effigy

Did you know?

An earlier sense of effigy is "a likeness of a person shaped out of stone or other materials," so it's not surprising to learn that effigy derives, by way of Middle French, from the Latin effigies, which, in turn, comes from the verb effingere ("to form"), a combination of the prefix ­ex- and fingere, which means "to shape." Fingere is the common ancestor of a number of other English nouns that name things you can shape. A fiction is a story you shape with your imagination. Figments are shaped by the imagination, too; they're something you imagine or make up. A figure can be a numeral, a shape, or a picture that you shape as you draw or write.

Examples of effigy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For unknown reasons, black vultures are repelled by the sight of a black vulture effigy, a dead or fake black vulture image displayed near the roof top, at the top of a tree, or at the highest spot possible next to the roosting area, says Owen. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 Feb. 2025 An effigy of Yoon at a demonstration calling for his ouster in Seoul on Thursday. Stella Kim, NBC News, 14 Dec. 2024 As previously reported, The Wrap said that the effigy will travel the U.S. as part of a Crooked and Obscene Tour. Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024 Elsewhere in New Delhi, members of the youth wing of India’s main opposition party burned an effigy of Trump. Esha Mitra, CNN, 7 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for effigy

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French effigie, borrowed from Latin effigiēs "representation, copy, specter," from effig-, variant stem of effingere "to shape, portray, copy" (from ef-, variant before f of ex- ex- entry 1 + fingere "to mold, fashion, make a likeness of") + -iēs, deverbal noun suffix — more at feign

First Known Use

1539, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of effigy was in 1539

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Cite this Entry

“Effigy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/effigy. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

effigy

noun
ef·​fi·​gy ˈef-ə-jē How to pronounce effigy (audio)
plural effigies
: a likeness especially of a person
especially : a crude figure meant to represent a hated person
hanged their cruel ruler in effigy

More from Merriam-Webster on effigy

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