disfigurement
UK[dɪsˈfɪɡəmənt]US[dɪsˈfɪɡjərmənt]
n
the act of spoiling the appearance of something or someone, especially by damaging the surface.
n
a damaged or spoiled appearance of something or someone.
Morpheme Breakdown
dis
figure
ment
dis
apart, away
figure
form, shape
ment
state or result
Etymology
the word 'disfigurement' is built upon the latin root 'figura', which denotes form or shape. the prefix 'dis-' introduces a sense of reversal, negation, or separation, effectively meaning 'to mar the form'. the suffix '-ment', arriving through old french from latin '-mentum', nominalizes the action, creating a word for the state or result of that damaging action. thus, the term's literal journey is from the concept of a physical shape, through the act of deforming it, to the abstract condition of being deformed.
Analysis
Structure: dis (apart, away) + figure (form, shape) + ment (state or result)
dis- (latin origin, a prefix meaning 'apart', 'asunder', 'having a negative or reversing force'); figure (from latin 'figura', meaning 'form', 'shape', 'contour'); -ment (latin origin via french, a suffix forming nouns indicating an action, process, or resulting state).
Examples
the acid attack resulted in severe and permanent disfigurement of her face.
the developers were accused of the disfigurement of the historic landscape with unsightly modern buildings.
he suffered both physical pain and psychological trauma from the disfigurement.