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   efface

   /ɪˈfeɪs/

   verb

   • 1. erase (a mark) from a surface: "with time, the words are effaced by the rain"
   • ▪ cause (a memory or emotion) to disappear completely: "nothing could efface the bitter memory" Similar eraseeradicateexpungeblot outrub outwipe outremoveeliminateexcisedeletecancelcross outstrike outink outscore outobliterateblank outblock outcover overconcealOpposite preserve
   • 2. make oneself appear insignificant or inconspicuous: "to efface oneself is not the easiest of duties which the teacher can undertake" Similar make oneself inconspicuouskeep out of sightkeep oneself to oneselfkeep quietkeep out of the public eyeavoid publicitykeep out of the limelightlie lowkeep a low profileregard/treat oneself as unimportantbe modest/diffident/retiringwithdrawOpposite make one's presence felt

   Word Origin late 15th century (in the sense ‘pardon or be absolved from (an offence)’): from French effacer, from e- (from Latin ex- ‘away from’) + face ‘face’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. effacement noun

   Scrabble Points: 14

   • E

     1

   • F

     4

   • F

     4

   • A

     1

   • C

     3

   • E

     1

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