mummy

¹ American  

[muhm-ee] / ˈmʌm i /

noun

plural

mummies

1. the dead body of a human being or animal, treated with natural or chemical desiccants and preservatives as part of preparation for burial, as notably practiced in ancient Egyptian and South American cultures.

   The Egyptian mummies on display, characteristically wrapped in multiple layers of linen, are more than 3,500 years old.

2. a dead body dried and preserved by nature.

3. a withered or shrunken living being.

   When this mummy of a guy walked in, we were not expecting him to say that he’s our new fitness coach!

4. a dry, shriveled fruit, tuber, or other plant organ, resulting from any of several fungal diseases.

---

verb (used with object)

mummied, mummying

1. Archaic. to make into or cause to resemble a mummy; mummify.

mummy ² American  

[muhm-ee] / ˈmʌm i /

noun

Chiefly British Informal.

plural

mummies

1. mommy.

---

mummy ¹ British  

/ ˈmʌmɪ /

noun

1. an embalmed or preserved body, esp as prepared for burial in ancient Egypt

2. obsolete the substance of such a body used medicinally

3. a mass of pulp

4. a dark brown pigment

---

mummy ² British  

/ ˈmʌmɪ /

noun

1. a child's word for mother 1

---

Other Word Forms

• unmummied adjective

Etymology

Origin of mummy¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English mummie, from Medieval Latin mummia, from Arabic mūmiyah “mummy,” literally, “bitumen,” from Persian mūm “wax”

Origin of mummy²

First recorded in 1815–25; mum ⁴ + -y ²

Example Sentences

Though concentrated, it’s situated among newly refreshed spaces containing lavishly ornamented mummy coffins, carved grave stelae, canopic jars, tomb wall reliefs and the preserved body of a woman named Gautseshenu.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

In most cases the “mummy portraits”—as the paintings are called—came to be pried or detached from the full mummy by excavators, archaeologists or thieves.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

"Because Rachel wanted to get in there and get that money for mummy and what she wanted it for meant that it meant so much more than just the money."

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

They mapped a compact "mummy zone" within these rock layers, which represent stacked river sands.

From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2025

Because the Inka was believed to be an immortal deity, his mummy was treated, logically enough, as if it were still living.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• dwindle
• shrink
• wilt
• wither