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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
Bernard Condon, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2025
That can be little effigies or messages of hopes or dreams.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 24 Feb. 2025
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
Use effigies to deter black vultures.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for effigy
Cite this Entry
“Effigy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/effigy. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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effigy
noun
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