TUESDAY, JANUARY 28

Effigy

[EF-ih-jee]Part of speech: noun

Origin: latin, 16th century

A dummy of a disliked person or object
A likeness of a person’s appearance on a monument, usually in sculpture form

Examples of Effigy in a sentence

The rival high schools had a tradition of burning each other’s mascots in effigy before the game.
They erected an effigy of the first governor outside of the state house.

About Effigy

You’re likely most familiar with the term “in effigy” to describe the ceremony of destroying a representation of a hated figure. But effigy can also be used as a term for any sort of monument that is a likeness of someone. The negative connotation has taken over, so be prepared for strange looks if you want to show off the effigy of your great-grandfather.

Did you Know?

Effigy can be traced back to the Latin verb “fingere,” which means to shape something. An effigy is a dummy or a sculpture, but there are other words that come from “fingere.” Fiction, figments, and figures all share the same shapely root.