embalm

[ em-bahm ]

/ ɛmˈbɑm /

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See synonyms for: embalm / embalming / embalmer on Thesaurus.com

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.

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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)smebalm

OTHER WORDS FROM embalm

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use embalm in a sentence

One of the most interesting things about American death and funerals isn’t even embalming, although that’s our greatest hit.
How to Be Better at Death (Ep. 450)|Maria Konnikova|February 4, 2021|Freakonomics
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
"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|DAILY BEAST

The dead need to be embalmed, as quickly and effectively as possible.
Haiti's Grisly Problem|Cyril Wecht|January 19, 2010|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Few emotions are stronger in the hour of death than the desire to be embalmed in the affections of those who are dear to us.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott
His mother had been embalmed with such consummate skill that she appeared as she had appeared on her death bed.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
The embalmed bodies of kings were preserved in marble sarcophagi, and hidden in gigantic monuments.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I|John Lord
Dead, even in name, many of them, or else safely embalmed in the musty pages of some old history seldom read.
Gardens of the Caribbees, v. 1/2|Ida May Hill Starr
The body was embalmed and the Ka dwelt in the sepulchre with it, but went in and out of the tomb.
Scarabs|Isaac Myer

British Dictionary definitions for embalm

embalm

/ (ɪmˈbɑːm) /

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 forms of embalm

embalmer, nounembalmment, noun

Word Origin for embalm

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

embalm

Origin of embalm

OTHER WORDS FROM embalm

Words related to embalm

How to use embalm in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for embalm

Derived forms of embalm

Word Origin for embalm