Both Uses of
efface
in
Washington Square, by Henry James
- She is like a copper kettle that receives a dent; you may polish up the kettle, but you can't efface the mark.
Chpt 21 *efface = remove completely from recognition or memory
- Catherine was with her aunt when the young man's name was brought in, and Mrs. Penniman, effacing herself and protesting, made a great point of her niece's going into the drawing-room alone.†
Chpt 6
Definitions:
-
(1)
(efface as in: efface the memory) remove completely from recognition or memory -- sometimes by erasing
-
(2)
(efface as in: efface herself) to make oneself inconspicuous or unimportant
-
(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
More rare, specialized senses include:- ballet -- a way of standing at an angle that hides part of the body from view
- medicine -- describing the cervix as getting shorter, softer, and thinner during labor