transitive verb petrified -·fied′, petrifying -·fy′·ing

1. to replace the normal cells of (organic matter) with silica or other mineral deposits; re-form as a stony substance
2. to make rigid, inflexible, or inert; harden or deaden
3. to paralyze or make numb, as with fear; stupefy; stun

Etymology: Fr pétrifier < L petra, stone, rock (< Gr) + -ficare, -fy

intransitive verb