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
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has embalmedperfect 3rd person singular
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have embalmedperfect
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have been embalmingperfect progressive
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has been embalmingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is embalmingprogressive 3rd person singular
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embalmssingular 3rd person
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embalmingparticiple
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am embalmingprogressive 1st person singular
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are embalmingprogressive
Past
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had embalmedperfect
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was embalmingprogressive singular
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were embalmingprogressive plural
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had been embalmingperfect progressive
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embalmedsimple
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embalmedparticiple
Future
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
Explanation
To embalm is to prepare a body for a funeral or burial. Part of a funeral director's job is to embalm the bodies of people who have died. Various traditions of death and burial require a dead body to be preserved with chemicals, and when someone does this, she's said to embalm the body. Occasionally, there are also medical research or educational reasons to embalm a body. Embalm has an Old French root, embaumer, "preserve a corpse with spices."
Vocabulary lists containing embalm
Ancient Egypt - Introductory
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The Things They Carried
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Ancient Egypt - Middle School and High School
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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.
The old Yankee wired back: "Embalm, bury, cremate and freeze � take no chances."
From Time Magazine Archive
A plague on Egypt's arts, I say— Embalm the dead—on senseless clay Rich wine and spices waste: Like sturgeon, or like brawn, shall I, Bound in a precious pickle lie, Which I can never taste!
From The Jest Book The Choicest Anecdotes and Sayings by Lemon, Mark
Embalm, em-b�m′, v.t. to preserve from decay by aromatic drugs, as a dead body: to perfume: to preserve with care and affection.—ns.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
Embalm your soul in Him now, make within you a temple for the Holy Spirit, be diligent in good works, make others happier and better.
From Amiel's Journal by Ward, Humphry, Mrs.
Embalm them in a little romance of your own.
From A Rebellious Heroine by Bangs, John Kendrick
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.
