A sculpture or model of a person, often made for burial purposes or political protest; burning an effigy is a symbolic protest.
From Latin 'effigies,' from 'effingere' meaning 'to form' or 'to represent,' from 'ex-' (out) and 'fingere' (to form). Originally used for funeral monuments.
Effigies were serious business—medieval kings were buried with effigies showing them in armor or crowns. Today we remember them mainly for protest, as in 'burn in effigy,' a symbolic form of public anger!
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