effacement

[ ih-feys-muhnt ]

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of effacement¹

efface ( def ) + -ment ( def )

Example Sentences

“The fight for agriculture is also the fight against rural effacement, the cry of a French people who do not want to die.”

From New York Times

The King Charles spaniel in the foreground of this scene escaped effacement.

From New York Times

Hutchinson said the issue is not just effacement — historical neglect has had a material impact on Black artists in the industry.

From New York Times

This effacement of Aldrin came about because Apollo astronauts wore visors lined with gold to protect their eyes from sunlight.

From The Guardian

Problems of displacement and effacement in the Bay Area continue to intensify.

From The New Yorker