mummify
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.
to dry or shrivel up.
Origin of mummify
1Other words from mummify
- mum·mi·fi·ca·tion, noun
- half-mum·mi·fied, adjective
- un·mum·mi·fied, adjective
- un·mum·mi·fy·ing, adjective
Words Nearby mummify
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use mummify in a sentence
It might be easier for dinosaurs to “mummify” than scientists had thought.
Dinosaur ‘mummies’ may not be as rare as once thought | Jake Buehler | November 1, 2022 | Science News For StudentsIt might be easier for dinosaurs to “mummify” than scientists thought.
Dinosaur ‘mummies’ may not be rare flukes after all | Jake Buehler | October 12, 2022 | Science NewsAnalyses focused on hair from the girl’s naturally mummified body and fingernails from the boy’s partially mummified remains.
A special brew may have calmed Inca children headed for sacrifice | Bruce Bower | May 13, 2022 | Science NewsUntil now, researchers had pegged the mummified Bronze Age bunch as newcomers and debated about where in West Asia they originally came from.
DNA from mysterious Asian mummies reveals their surprising ancestry | Bruce Bower | October 27, 2021 | Science NewsBlackened lungs in mummified tissue from Egypt, Peru, and Great Britain point to wood fires from ancient homes.
They mummify the victim, as it were, and tuck him away for the morrow.
Nothing But the Truth | Frederic S. IshamThey mummify before decay sets in and turn into a leathery brown, similar to the mummies of Egypt.
One Irish Summer | William Eleroy Curtis
British Dictionary definitions for mummify
/ (ˈmʌmɪˌfaɪ) /
(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(tr) to preserve (an outdated idea, institution, etc) while making lifeless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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