Disfigure
/dɪsˈfɪɡjər/noun
To spoil or mar the appearance of something or someone.
Did you know?Disfigure comes from Latin roots meaning “apart” + “shape,” and its ancient cousin *figure* was tied to visible form, so the word originally meant not just damage, but to undo the very pattern of appearance.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dhes-
“to set, place, put”
Latin
Latin
figura
“shape, form, outline”
Late Latin
Latin
disfigurare
“to mar, spoil the form of”
Old French
Old French
desfigurer
“to disfigure, deform”
Middle English
English
disfiguren
“to spoil the appearance of”
Modern English
English
disfigure
“to spoil or mar the appearance of”
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