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 (tr) to preserve (an outdated idea, institution, etc) while making lifeless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

Example Sentences

The Chinchorro people of northern Chile started to intentionally mummify their dead about 2,000 years before the Egyptians—and thousands of years before that, the Atacama Desert was doing it for them.

From National Geographic • Aug. 7, 2023

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the workshops had been used to mummify humans and sacred animals.

From Washington Times • May 27, 2023

That gave the animal’s skin a chance to mummify.

From Scientific American • Oct. 14, 2022

That means they used mortuary practices to conserve the bodies rather than leave them to naturally mummify in the dry climate - although some naturally mummified bodies have also been found at the sites.

From BBC • Oct. 24, 2021

I remember the Scotch tape ads from the forties: mummify your hand in inside- out Scotch tape, defuzz your clothing.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood