petrifaction

[ pe-truh-fak-shuhn ]
See synonyms for petrifaction on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act or process of petrifying; the state of being petrified.

  2. something petrified.

Origin of petrifaction

1
1640–50; petri- + -faction<Latin factiōn- (stem of factiō) a making. See petrify, faction1
  • Also pet·ri·fi·ca·tion [pe-truh-fi-key-shuhn]. /ˌpɛ trə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən/.

Other words from petrifaction

  • pet·ri·fac·tive, adjective

Words Nearby petrifaction

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use petrifaction in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for petrifaction

petrifaction

petrification (ˌpɛtrɪfɪˈkeɪʃən)

/ (ˌpɛtrɪˈfækʃən) /


noun
  1. the act or process of forming petrified organic material

  2. the state of being petrified

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

Scientific definitions for petrifaction

petrifaction

[ pĕt′rə-făkshən ]


  1. The process by which organic materials are turned into rock. Petrifaction occurs when water that is rich with inorganic minerals, such as calcium carbonate or silica, passes slowly through organic matter, such as wood or bone, replacing its cellular structure with minerals.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.