verb (used with object), ef·faced, ef·fac·ing.
- to wipe out; do away with; expunge: to efface one’s unhappy memories.
- to rub out, erase, or obliterate (outlines, traces, inscriptions, etc.).
- to make (oneself) inconspicuous; withdraw (oneself) modestly or shyly.
verb (tr)
- to obliterate or make dimto efface a memory
- to make (oneself) inconspicuous or humble through modesty, cowardice, or obsequiousness
- to rub out (a line, drawing, etc); erase
v.late 15c., from Middle French effacer, from Old French esfacier (12c.) “to wipe out, destroy,” literally “to remove the face,” from es- “out” (see ex-) + face “appearance,” from Latin facies “face” (see face (n.)). Related: Effaced; effacing. Cf. deface.