mummy

¹

[ muhm-ee ]

noun

, plural mum·mies.

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)

, mum·mied, mum·my·ing.

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

mummy

²

[ muhm-ee ]

noun

, Chiefly British Informal.

, plural mum·mies.

1. mommy ( def ).

mummy

¹

/ ˈmʌmɪ /

noun

1. a child's word for mother 1

mummy

²

/ 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

Other Words From

• un·mum·mied 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

C19: variant of mum ¹

Origin of mummy²

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

Example Sentences

"Her three-year-old is still asking when mummy is coming home and pointing to mummy’s side of the bed."

From BBC

“No child should ever have to ask why their mummy isn’t coming home. No husband should be without their wife. And no parents should have to bury their daughter for something that is so treatable,” Faye said.

From BBC

She said her "amazing mummy" was someone she had always looked up to and showed her the "value of working hard, dreaming big and what it takes to succeed".

From BBC

"My mummy was in cardiac arrest, and every second counts," she said.

From BBC

Dracula’s cinematographer and director of The Mummy, Karl Freund, served 90 days in the German army before being discharged for being too fat.

From Slate

Related Words

• dwindle
• shrink
• wilt
• wither