mummify

American  

[muhm-uh-fahy] / ˈmʌm əˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

mummified, mummifying

1. to make (a dead body) into a mummy, as by embalming and drying.

2. to make (something) resemble a mummy; dry or shrivel up.

   The dead lizard was mummified by the hot desert air.

3. to preserve (an idea, institution, custom, etc.) that may have outlived its usefulness or relevance.

   Those mummified customs have no place in society today.

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verb (used without object)

mummified, mummifying

1. to dry or shrivel up.

mummify British  

/ ˈmʌmɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. (tr) to preserve the body of (a human or animal) as a mummy

2. (intr) to dry up; shrivel

3. (tr) to preserve (an outdated idea, institution, etc) while making lifeless

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Other Word Forms

• half-mummified
  adjective
• mummification
  noun
• unmummified
  adjective
• unmummifying
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of mummify

First recorded in 1620–30; mummy ¹ + -fy

Explanation

To mummify is to make a mummy — to prepare a dead body for preservation after burial. Ancient Egyptians would often mummify bodies by wrapping them in cloth. Don't try that at home! Many cultures have had a tradition of mummification — in other words, they would mummify their dead, often to insure a happy afterlife, by removing the internal organs, treating the body with minerals and oils, and wrapping it. Sometimes burial conditions, like a very dry location, have served to accidentally mummify a body. Mummify adds the verb-forming suffix fy to mummy, rooted in the Arabic mumiyah.