disfigure

English

Etymology

From Middle English disfiguren, from Anglo-Norman desfigurer.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪsˈfɪɡə/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /dɪsˈfɪɡjɚ/

Verb

disfigure (third-person singular simple present disfigures, present participle disfiguring, simple past and past participle disfigured)

1. to change the appearance of something/someone to the negative.

   The burnings disfigured his face.

   • 1959 November, G. H. Robin, “Railways to Helensburgh—a pre-electrification retrospect”, in Trains Illustrated, page 544:

     The North British Railway was always anxious to connect its line to Helensburgh Pier but the local residents would not permit their foreshore or promenade to be disfigured, so the company had to resort further east and on May 18, 1882, opened the railway pier and station at Craigendoran.

Synonyms

• leper (rare)

Translations

change appearance to the negative

• Carpathian Rusyn: начудациц (načudacyc), очудациц (očudacyc), скалїчиц ше (skaljičyc še), чудациц (čudacyc)
• Catalan: desfigurar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 變醜／变丑 (biànchǒu)

• Danish: vansire, skamfere
• Faroese: misprýða, skemma, avskepla, løsta, meiðsla, lýta, spilla
• Finnish: turmella (fi), runnella (fi)
• French: défigurer (fr)
• German: entstellen (de), verunstalten (de)
• Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐍅𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (frawardjan)
• Ingrian: muglia
• Irish: ainimhigh, máchailigh
• Japanese: 醜くする (ja) (みにくくする, minikuku suru)
• Latin: dēturpō
• Macedonian: изобличи (izobliči)
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: каргаш (kargaš)

• Ottoman Turkish: بوزمق (bozmak)
• Polish: oszpecać impf, oszpecić pf, zniekształcać (pl) impf, zniekształcić (pl) pf
• Portuguese: desfigurar (pt)
• Russian: уро́довать (ru) impf (uródovatʹ), изуро́довать (ru) pf (izuródovatʹ)
• Spanish: desfigurar (es)
• Swedish: vanställa (sv)
• Tagalog: despigurahin, papangitin
• Welsh: hagru (cy)