embalm
Americanverb (used with object)
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to treat (a dead body) so as to preserve it, as with chemicals, drugs, or balsams.
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to preserve from oblivion; keep in memory.
his deeds embalmed in the hearts of his disciples.
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to cause to remain unchanged; prevent the development of.
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to impart a balmy fragrance to.
verb
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to treat (a dead body) with preservatives, as by injecting formaldehyde into the blood vessels, to retard putrefaction
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to preserve or cherish the memory of
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poetic to give a sweet fragrance to
Other Word Forms
- embalmer noun
- embalmment noun
- unembalmed adjective
Etymology
Origin of embalm
1300–50; Middle English embalmen, embaumen < Old French emba ( u ) smer, equivalent to em- em- 1 + -ba ( u ) smer, verbal derivative of ba ( u ) sme balm
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Another part of you frantically tries to embalm the memories, fearing the natural deterioration and gnawing terror of time.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2025
Funeral directors are unable to embalm or treat the deceased in their care until a death is registered.
From BBC • Feb. 1, 2025
In 2020, a woman in Michigan with cerebral palsy was declared dead by paramedics but was discovered to be breathing hours later by a funeral home worker who was preparing to embalm her body.
From New York Times • Feb. 5, 2023
Lawyer Ronald Gordon, who is representing Chen’s family, said Chen’s parents traveled to Fiji after their daughter’s death but didn’t embalm her body and take her to the U.S. as they’d hoped.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 27, 2022
Mr. Carriaga addressed him sternly: “Did you embalm Josh Billings?”
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
