deface

C2+ Topic:Senses & Perception

US /dɪˈfeɪs/ UK /dɪˈfeɪs/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to spoil the surface or appearance of

Vandals defaced the monument with spray paint.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to spoil the surface or... disfigure mar vandalize spoil mutilate blemish scar damage

Opposites

adorn beautify restore repair

Word family

Forms undefaced

Derived forms defacementdefacerdefaceddefacing

Related forms face efface surface

Etymology

From Old French desfacier ('to disfigure, destroy the face of'), from des- ('away, un-') + face ('face'), ultimately from Latin facies ('appearance, face').

desfacier Old French facies Latin *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Senses & Perception

External links

# deface

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈfeɪs/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪˈfeɪs/

## Meanings
1. to spoil the surface or appearance of

## Examples
- Vandals defaced the monument with spray paint.

## Synonyms
- disfigure
- mar
- vandalize
- spoil
- mutilate
- blemish
- scar
- damage

## Antonyms
- adorn
- beautify
- restore
- repair

## Derived Forms
- defacement
- defacer
- defaced
- defacing

## Related Forms
- face
- efface
- surface

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: desfacier
- Root: facies
- Root: *dʰeh₁-

## Etymology
From Old French desfacier ('to disfigure, destroy the face of'), from des- ('away, un-') + face ('face'), ultimately from Latin facies ('appearance, face').

## AI Etymology
Deface is from Old French desfacier ('to disfigure, destroy the face of'), from des- ('away, un-') + face ('face'), ultimately from Latin facies ('appearance, face'). The ancestry passes through Old French desfacier, Latin facies, and Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-. In present use as a verb, it means "to spoil the surface or appearance of", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include face, efface, and surface; derived forms include defacement, defacer, defaced, and defacing.

## Topics
- Senses & Perception

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