effacement

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)The act of expunging, of wiping out; expungement.

   “Among the many very baffling inconsistencies of Shakespeare's life the outstanding mystery is surely this: that of all his prolific work […] not a line of manuscript is known to exist today. Nothing approaching this complete effacement can be paralleled in literary history […]”

2. (countable, uncountable)Withdrawal in order to make oneself inconspicuous; the making of oneself inconspicuous.

   “Native Americans seem to have always placed great value on silence and direct experience, and in indigenous cultures in general, silence denotes respect and self-effacement.”

3. (countable, uncountable)A shortening, or thinning, of the cervix before or during early labour.