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n. A position in ballet in which the dancer stands at an angle to the audience so that part of the body is hidden from view. [French, from past participle of effacer, to efface; see EFFACE.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
v. ef·faced, ef·fac·ing, ef·fac·es v.tr. 1. To rub or wipe out; erase: The serial number had been effaced from the stolen product. 2. To remove or make indistinct: "Five years' absence had done nothing to efface the people's memory of his firmness" (Alan Moorehead). 3. To conduct (oneself) inconspicuously: "When the two women went out together, Anna deliberately effaced herself and played to the dramatic Molly" (Doris Lessing). 4. Medicine To cause to become shorter, softer, and thinner during labor: The cervix was effaced as the contractions continued. v.intr. Medicine To become shorter, softer, and thinner during labor. Used of the cervix. [Middle English effacen, from French effacer, from Old French esfacier : es-, out (from Latin ex-, ex-) + face, face; see FACE.] ef·facea·ble adj. ef·facement n. ef·facer n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
