mummification

American  

[muhm-i-fi-kay-shuhn] / ˌmʌm ɪ fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of making a dead body into a mummy, as by embalming and drying.

2. the act or process of becoming or causing something to become dried and shriveled but otherwise intact, like a mummy.

3. the act of preserving an idea, institution, or custom that is no longer useful or relevant.

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Explanation

Mummification is an old-fashioned method of preparing a dead body so that it doesn't decay. Mummification was commonly used in ancient Egypt, not so much these days. Although the earliest examples of mummification were accidental, with bodies being preserved because of very dry, desert conditions, it soon became religiously important in ancient Egypt and was done deliberately. Ancient Egyptians believed that a happy afterlife depended in part on careful mummification. The word mummification is formed with the suffix -fication, "a making or causing," and mummy, from the Arabic mumiyah, "embalmed body," from the Persian root mum, "wax."

Example Sentences

Together, these lingering chemical traces reveal how mummification methods changed and became more sophisticated over hundreds of years.

From Science Daily • Mar. 16, 2026

Isidora is an example of ancient syncretism at work: a Greek woman, painted in a Roman tradition, whose burial followed Egyptian customs of mummification.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

As a result, pharaohs and members of the nobility were adorned with oils, waxes and balms during the mummification process.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2025

Well-preserved brain tissue has been recorded under some well-studied circumstances: mummification, freezing in permafrost, being tanned and preserved by acidic peat bogs.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 21, 2024

When Pete-ho-tep was dry and his feathers rearranged, he did look almost as good as new, and the mummification process continued.

From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder