effigies

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   Crude figures or dummies that stand for a disliked person, often burned or damaged in protest.

   Grammar: Plural of effigy; often with burn: they burned effigies of the king.

   Patterns

   • burn effigies of someone
   • effigies of someone

   Protesters burned effigies of the governor outside the town hall.

   Villagers made effigies of the old year and set them on fire.

   Straw effigies hung from the lampposts.

2. 2nounpluralspecialist

   Carved or modeled images of a person, especially lifelike figures on tombs or monuments.

   Grammar: Plural of effigy; used in history and art.

   Patterns

   • effigies on something
   • effigies of someone

   The church contains stone effigies of medieval knights.

   Effigies of the queens lie in the cathedral choir.

   Wax effigies of kings were carried at royal funerals.

Word forms

Common combinations

burn effigies

Crowds burned effigies of the unpopular minister.

stone effigies

The abbey is famous for its stone effigies.

wax effigies

Wax effigies were once placed on royal coffins.

hang effigies

Protesters hung effigies from the bridge.

effigies of knights

The chapel holds effigies of knights in armor.

Synonyms and how they differ

dummies

Dummies is a casual word for figures made to look like people, while effigies suggests a specific target or purpose.

statues

Statues are usually meant to honor someone, whereas effigies are often made to be mocked or destroyed.

likenesses

Likenesses refers to any image that resembles a person, with none of the protest sense of effigies.

Word family

effigy noun

one figure or dummy of a person

in effigy phrase

done to a figure instead of the real person

Commonly confused: effigies or efficacy?

Practice

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