effacing

present participle and gerund of efface

(transitive) To erase (as anything impressed or inscribed upon a surface); to render illegible or indiscernible.
(transitive) To cause to disappear as if by rubbing out or striking out.
(intransitive) To make oneself inobtrusive as if due to modesty or diffidence.
(intransitive) Of the cervix during pregnancy, to thin and stretch in preparation for labor.
(intransitive) Of a woman: to have the cervix thin and stretch in this manner.