embalm

[em-bahm]

verb (used with object)

to treat (a dead body) so as to preserve it, as with chemicals, drugs, or balsams.
to preserve from oblivion; keep in memory: his deeds embalmed in the hearts of his disciples.
to cause to remain unchanged; prevent the development of.

to impart a balmy fragrance to.

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

Related formsem·balm·er, nounem·balm·ment, nounun·em·balmed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for embalmed

Contemporary Examples

Sorin had to be sealed in a lead coffin as bodies were not embalmed there.
Edmund White: Sex, Success, and Survival
Tim Teeman
February 11, 2014
Scientists are examining the embalmed heart of Richard the Lionheart, who died in 1199.
Scientists Exhume the Heart of Richard the Lionheart
Dan Jones
March 3, 2013
"Father Gary" didn't grow up with a mercurial mortician who embalmed his mother, either.
What's Real in The Rite
Seth Colter Walls
January 31, 2011
The dead need to be embalmed, as quickly and effectively as possible.
Haiti's Grisly Problem
Cyril Wecht
January 19, 2010
Climategate just ensures the carcass isn't going to be embalmed—it will rot for all to see.
'Climate Change Is a Myth'
Benjamin Sarlin
December 7, 2009

Historical Examples

Therefore as soon as a man had died, his corpse was embalmed.
Ancient Man
Hendrik Willem van Loon
It is embalmed and kept sweet by the myrrh and cassia of many tears.
De Profundis
Oscar Wilde
Such a cat should have been embalmed for the benefit of posterity.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 15, July 9, 1870
Various
It had so much the same look that it seemed to have been embalmed.
In a Little Town
Rupert Hughes
It was not a foot of metal, but in sooth a foot of flesh, an embalmed foot, a mummy's foot.
The Mummy's Foot
Thophile Gautier

British Dictionary definitions for embalmed

embalm

verb (tr)

to treat (a dead body) with preservatives, as by injecting formaldehyde into the blood vessels, to retard putrefaction
to preserve or cherish the memory of
poetic to give a sweet fragrance to

Derived Formsembalmer, nounembalmment, noun

Word Origin

C13: from Old French embaumer; see balm

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for embalmed

embalm

v.

mid-14c., from Middle French embaumer "preserve (a corpse) with spices," from en- "in" (see en- (1)) + baume "balm" (see balm) + -er verbal suffix. The -l- inserted in English 1500s in imitation of Latin. Related: Embalmed; embalming.

embalmed in Medicine

embalm

(ĕm-bäm′)

To treat a corpse with preservatives in order to prevent decay.

embalm

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}embalm

Related Words

Examples from the Web for embalmed

Contemporary Examples

Sorin had to be sealed in a lead coffin as bodies were not embalmed there.

Scientists are examining the embalmed heart of Richard the Lionheart, who died in 1199.

"Father Gary" didn't grow up with a mercurial mortician who embalmed his mother, either.

The dead need to be embalmed, as quickly and effectively as possible.

Climategate just ensures the carcass isn't going to be embalmed—it will rot for all to see.

Historical Examples

Therefore as soon as a man had died, his corpse was embalmed.

It is embalmed and kept sweet by the myrrh and cassia of many tears.

Such a cat should have been embalmed for the benefit of posterity.

It had so much the same look that it seemed to have been embalmed.

It was not a foot of metal, but in sooth a foot of flesh, an embalmed foot, a mummy's foot.

embalm

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for embalmed

embalm

v.

embalm

Origin of embalm