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mummify

[ muhm-uh-fahy ]
/ ˈmʌm əˌfaɪ /
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See synonyms for: mummify / mummified on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), mum·mi·fied, mum·mi·fy·ing.
to make (a dead body) into a mummy, as by embalming and drying.
to make (something) resemble a mummy; dry or shrivel up: The dead lizard was mummified by the hot desert air.
to preserve (an idea, institution, custom, etc.) that may have outlived its usefulness or relevance: Those mummified customs have no place in society today.
verb (used without object), mum·mi·fied, mum·mi·fy·ing.
to dry or shrivel up.
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Origin of mummify

First recorded in 1620–30; mummy1 + -fy

OTHER WORDS FROM mummify

mum·mi·fi·ca·tion, nounhalf-mum·mi·fied, adjectiveun·mum·mi·fied, adjectiveun·mum·mi·fy·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mummify in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mummify

mummify
/ (ˈmʌmɪˌfaɪ) /

verb -fies, -fying or -fied
(tr) to preserve the body of (a human or animal) as a mummy
(intr) to dry up; shrivel
(tr) to preserve (an outdated idea, institution, etc) while making lifeless

Derived forms of mummify

mummification, noun
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
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