mummify

[ muhm-uh-fahy ]

verb (used with object)

, mum·mi·fied, mum·mi·fy·ing.

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.

verb (used without object)

, mum·mi·fied, mum·mi·fy·ing.

1. to dry or shrivel up.

mummify

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 tr to preserve (an outdated idea, institution, etc) while making lifeless

Derived Forms

• ˌmummifiˈcation, noun

Other Words From

• mummi·fi·cation noun
• half-mummi·fied adjective
• un·mummi·fied adjective
• un·mummi·fying adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mummify¹

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

Example Sentences

Somewhere, the aforementioned Spanish director behind “The Exterminating Angel” is nodding wryly at the idea of a satire about G-7 leaders set in a peat bog thick with mummified zombies.

From Los Angeles Times

The boy-king's priceless collection is yet to be displayed, but visitors can now see items varying from pharaonic statues to sarcophagi and mummified bodies.

From BBC

The National Institute of Anthropology and History, INAH, said that during recent renovations at the museum where the mummified bodies are on permanent display, the arm of one of the mummies, well, came off.

From Seattle Times

It’s the last thing she says before rope wraps around her mouth and she’s a mummified version of herself, twitching on the floor.

From Literature

The corpses had baked in the sun and the meat of their faces was partly mummified.

From Seattle Times