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Glite Dictionary
🤰 Thinning cervix 🙈 Self-hiding
effacement

effacement

1 9.9
The lower part of the womb becomes shorter and thinner during labor to prepare for birth
  • noun
  • /ɪˈfeɪsmənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : borramiento
  • The final visits are to check for dilation and/or effacement, to see if the body is "preparing" for labor.

Examples

  • Slides of a KFD specimen show effacement of the lymph node parenchyma with large cells (pale area) associated with marked karyorrhectic bodies and necrosis.

    Academic text (2009)

  • The midwife explained that effacement involves the thinning and shortening of the cervix as labor approaches.

  • Cervical dilatation and effacement were checked by the gynecologist, and the progression of labor was normal.

    Academic text (2007)

  • During labor, the doctor monitored the effacement of the cervix to ensure the mother was progressing properly.

  • As the labor progressed, healthcare professionals assessed the effacement of the cervix to determine the appropriate time for delivery.

Surface Forms

effacement singular
effacements plural

Morphology

effacement = efface (opaque) = efface + ment

The obstetric sense is a specialized technical meaning (thinning/shortening of the cervix) that is not obviously deducible from the general verb 'efface' by an average B1 learner.

Etymology

The word effacement comes from the French verb effacer, which means 'to erase', so imagine the cervix being gently 'wiped away' as it becomes shorter and thinner to prepare for childbirth.