Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

ef-fingo, finxi, fictum, 3, v. a., orig., to work out by pressing = fingendo exprimere, ἐκμάσσειν (v. fingo).
Hence,

  1. I. To form, fashion (artistically—class.; most freq. in the trop. sense; cf.: formo, informo, conformo, fingo, reddo, instituo, etc.).
    1. A. Lit.: oris lineamenta in tabula: Veneris Coae pulchritudinem aspersione fortuita, Cic. Div. 1, 13, 23: sui dissimilia, id. N. D. 3, 9, 23: deum imagines in species hominum, Tac. H. 5, 5 et saep.
      Poet.: (Daedalus) casus alicujus in auro, Verg. A. 6, 32; cf. id. ib. 10, 640; Luc. 5, 713: horrentes effingens crine galeros, Sil. 1, 404.
    2. B. Trop., to express, represent, portray: (natura) speciem ita formavit oris, ut in ea penitus reconditos mores effingeret, Cic. Leg. 1, 9; cf. id. Rosc. Am. 16, 47; id. de Or. 2, 43 fin.; Tac. A. 11, 14; Quint. 6, 2, 17: oratorem effingere (connected with corpora fingendo efficere), id. 5, 12, 21: effinge aliquid et excude (sc. scribendo), quod sit perpetuo tuum, Plin. Ep. 1, 3, 4: imaginem virtutis, to represent by imitation, Quint. 10, 2, 15; cf. id. 10, 1, 108; 11, 3, 89 sq.; Plin. Ep. 9, 22, 2.
      Of the conception of external objects: visum impressum effictumque ex eo, unde esset, id. Ac. 2, 6, 18; cf. id. Tusc. 1, 25, 61; id. de Or. 2, 86 fin.
  2. II. To wipe clean, wipe out (only in the foll. passages): fiscinas spongia effingat, Cato R. R. 67, 2 (for which: fiscinas spongia tergendas, Plin. 15, 6, 6, § 22): spongiis sanguinem, Cic. Sest. 35 fin., v. Halm ad h. l.
  3. III. To rub gently, stroke: manus, Albin. Cons. ad Liv. 138; Ov. H. 20, 134 (for which: manus fingere, id. F. 5, 409).