29 July 2018
efface
[ih-feys]
verb (used with object), effaced, effacing.
1. to wipe out; do away with; expunge:
to efface one’s unhappy memories.
2. to rub out, erase, or obliterate (outlines, traces, inscriptions, etc.).
3. to make (oneself) inconspicuous; withdraw (oneself) modestly or shyly.
Origin of efface
Middle French
1480-1490 From the Middle French word effacer, dating back to 1480-90. See ef-, face
Related forms
effaceable, adjective
effacement, noun
effacer, noun
uneffaceable, adjective
uneffaced, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for efface
Historical Examples
Why should he efface himself, if it meant Sidney’s unhappiness?
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
But here is a confession which a hundred crosses can not efface.
The Book of Khalid
Ameen Rihani
This was alone wanting to efface every trace of the old Republican spirit.
Tom Burke Of “Ours”, Volume II (of II)
Charles James Lever
Enough to efface it in the eyes of one who had never sinned?
Wisdom, Wit, and Pathos of Ouida
Ouida
Will it be possible to efface the evil impress left on that mind and body?
The Choice of Life
Georgette Leblanc
The better to efface the impress of their tyrannical past, I had to dip them into water.
The Choice of Life
Georgette Leblanc
Nothing can ever cure me, no dream of my mind can ever efface the dream of my heart.
The Child of Pleasure
Gabriele D’Annunzio
He forgot his resolution to efface himself, and whipped his horse forward.
A Soldier of the Legion
C. N. Williamson
The strength of the child is to efface himself in every possible way.
What Is and What Might Be
Edmond Holmes
The constant use of that paddle in the water, for fifteen days, did not efface the color.
The Adventures of the Chevalier De La Salle and His Companions, in Their Explorations of the Prairies, Forests, Lakes, and Rivers, of the New World, and Their Interviews with the Savage Tribes, Two Hundred Years Ago
John S. C. Abbott
Today’s quote
This is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end, it is just the end of the beginning.
– Winston Churchill
On this day
29 July 1565 – marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots, to her cousin, Lord Darnley.
29 July 1833 – birth of William Wilberforce. English politician, philanthropist and leader of the slave trade abolition movement. In 1785 he became an evangelical Christian, which transformed his life to focus on philanthropy and human rights. For 20 years he pursued the abolition of slavery, eventually culminating in the passage of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act 1807. Died 29 July 1833. Died 24 August 1759.
29 July 1836 – the Arc de Triomphe is inaugurated in Paris.
29 July 1848 – the failed nationalist Tipperary Revolt against English rule, which occurred during the Great Potato Famine in Ireland.
29 July 1860 – birth of Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901 and Governor of Bombay from 1903 to 1907. Lamington is credited with commissioning the creation of one of Australia’s most iconic desserts, the lamington. Numerous stories abound regarding the origin of the lamington, but generally Lamington’s chef (French-born Armand Gallad) is believed to have created it when he was ordered to prepare a morning tea for Federation celebrations being held by Lady Lamington. Rumour has it that Gallad cut up some left-over sponge cake, dipped it in chocolate and covered it in coconut. It should be noted that coconut was not a well-known or popular ingredient at that time, but Gallad was aware of it as his wife was from Tahiti, where coconut was a staple ingredient.
29 July 1890 – death of Vincent Van Gogh, Dutch painter. Born 30 March 1853.
29 July 1907 – the Boy Scouts formed in England by Sir Robert Baden-Powell.
29 July 1948 – the XIV Olympiad is opened in London by King George VI. This is the first Olympiad since the XI Olympiad in Berlin in 1936. The XII and XIII Olympiads for 1940 and 1944 respectively, were not held because of World War II.
29 July 1949 – first broadcast by BBC radio.
29 July 1981 – Prince Charles and Lady Dianna Spencer wed in London.
29 July 1989 – Burmese authorities imprison Aung Sun Suu Kyi even though her political party won 59% of votes in the election. She rose to prominence following her role in the ‘8888’ Uprising on 8 August 1988.