disfigure
UK: dɪsˈfɪɡə | US: dɪsˈfɪɡjər
vt. to spoil the appearance of something or someone, especially by marking or damaging the surface
vt. to impair the beauty, symmetry, or perfection of
disfigure = dis<opposite/negative> + figure<shape/form>
- dis: A Latin prefix meaning "apart," "asunder," or "negation." In English, it often reverses the meaning of the root (e.g., disagree, disable).
- figure: From Latin figura ("shape, form, likeness"), derived from fingere ("to shape, mold"). Retains the core meaning of physical or symbolic form.
Etymology Origin:
The word disfigure emerged in Middle English (14th century) from Old French disfigurer, combining the Latin prefix dis- (negation) with figura. The term originally described literal physical deformation but later expanded to abstract impairments (e.g., reputation, landscapes). The logic is straightforward: to disfigure is to "undo" or "mar" a figure’s natural state.
The graffiti disfigured the historic monument.
Severe burns can disfigure a person’s face permanently.
The artist refused to disfigure her painting with commercial alterations.
Pollution disfigures the natural beauty of the coastline.
War has disfigured the city’s once-elegant architecture.