mummy

¹

[muhm-ee]

noun

plural

mummies 

1. the dead body of a human being or animal, treated with natural or chemical desiccants and preservatives as part of preparation for burial, as notably practiced in ancient Egyptian and South American cultures.

   The Egyptian mummies on display, characteristically wrapped in multiple layers of linen, are more than 3,500 years old.

2. a dead body dried and preserved by nature.

3. a withered or shrunken living being.

   When this mummy of a guy walked in, we were not expecting him to say that he’s our new fitness coach!

4. a dry, shriveled fruit, tuber, or other plant organ, resulting from any of several fungal diseases.

verb (used with object)

mummied, mummying 

1. Archaic.,  to make into or cause to resemble a mummy; mummify.

mummy

²

[muhm-ee]

noun

Chiefly British Informal.

plural

mummies 

1. mommy.

mummy

¹

/ ˈmʌmɪ /

noun

1. an embalmed or preserved body, esp as prepared for burial in ancient Egypt

2. obsolete,  the substance of such a body used medicinally

3. a mass of pulp

4. a dark brown pigment

mummy

²

/ ˈmʌmɪ /

noun

1. a child's word for mother 1

Other Word Forms

• unmummied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mummy¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English mummie, from Medieval Latin mummia, from Arabic mūmiyah “mummy,” literally, “bitumen,” from Persian mūm “wax”

Origin of mummy²

First recorded in 1815–25; mum ⁴ + -y ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of mummy¹

C14: from Old French momie, from Medieval Latin mumia, from Arabic mūmiyah asphalt, from Persian mūm wax

Origin of mummy²

C19: variant of _mum ¹

Example Sentences

She added that her granddaughter "still asks for her mummy... she asks questions that no child should ever have to ask".

From BBC

"At primary school my children went from saying 'mummy's a nurse' to saying 'mummy marries men on Saturdays' which was slightly confusing to the teacher!" she jokes.

From BBC

He said telling their three-year-old that "mummy was not coming home" had been "devastating".

From BBC

"When a mummy comes to us she is often surviving for the sake of her baby and at the end when she is surviving for herself, that is mighty."

From BBC

High-resolution imaging of tattoos found on a 2,500 year old Siberian "ice mummy" have revealed decorations that a modern tattooist would find challenging to produce, according to researchers.

From BBC

Related Words

• dwindle 
• shrink 
• wilt 
• wither