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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
Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 23 Nov. 2024
These modern effigies to mass production and over-consumption carry their own history, gained from both the seller in need and the tourist who purchases them.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
About 20,000 mounds, effigy and conical, were built in Wisconsin.
—Frank Vaisvilas, Journal Sentinel, 20 Nov. 2024
There are no tactical vests or American flag bandanas to be seen, nor are there any tri-corner hats or effigies or black and yellow militia uniforms.
—Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Effigy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/effigy. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
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effigy
noun
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