deface
/dɪˈfeɪs/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.32 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To damage or vandalize something, especially a surface, in a visible or conspicuous manner.
verb
To void or devalue; to nullify or degrade the face value of.
verb
To alter a coat of arms or a flag by adding an element to it.
Example Sentences
- "1869: George Eliot, The Legend of Jubal That wondrous frame where melody began / Lay as a tomb defaced that no eye cared to scan."
- "After the painting was defaced a decade ago, it went viral and has been a tourist attraction ever since."
- "He defaced the I.O.U. notes by scrawling "void" over them."
- "1776: Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations One-and-twenty worn and defaced shillings, however, were considered as equivalent to a guinea, which perhaps, indeed, was worn and defaced too, but seldom so much so."
- "You get the Finnish state flag by defacing the national flag with the state coat of arms placed in the middle of the cross."
Etymology
From Middle English defacen, from Old French defacier, desfacier (“to mutilate, destroy, disfigure”), from des- (“away from”) (see dis-) + Late Latin facia.