mummification
Americannoun
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the act or process of making a dead body into a mummy, as by embalming and drying.
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the act or process of becoming or causing something to become dried and shriveled but otherwise intact, like a mummy.
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the act of preserving an idea, institution, or custom that is no longer useful or relevant.
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."
Vocabulary lists containing mummification
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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.
By 3000 B.C., cats had secured a solid cultural cachet in ancient Egypt, where they “mediated” between humans and gods, and frequently featured in mummification rituals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
In fourth place with $5.6 million was "Lee Cronin's The Mummy," an original horror flick from Warner Bros about a young girl possessed by a demon in an ancient mummification ritual.
From Barron's ● Apr. 26, 2026
Together, these lingering chemical traces reveal how mummification methods changed and became more sophisticated over hundreds of years.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 16, 2026
Dr Shepherd said the condition of her body was "consistent with mummification" as the cold winter air coming in through the open window "effectively turned the room into a fridge" and slowed down decomposition.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026
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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
