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embalm

[em-bahm]
verb (used with object)
  1. to treat (a dead body) so as to preserve it, as with chemicals, drugs, or balsams.
  2. to preserve from oblivion; keep in memory: his deeds embalmed in the hearts of his disciples.
  3. to cause to remain unchanged; prevent the development of.
  4. 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)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

Related Words

mummify, anoint, prepare, process, treasure, freeze, consecrate, cherish, wrap, enshrine, conserve, store

Examples from the Web for embalmed

Contemporary Examples

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.

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

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
embalmed in Medicine

embalm

(ĕm-bäm′)
v.
  1. To treat a corpse with preservatives in order to prevent decay.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.