Dictionary
Thesaurus
Sentence Examples

Dictionary Home » Dictionary Definitions » petrify

petrify

Listen See in Thesaurus See in a sentence

Petrify is to change organic matter into something stone like, or to cause extreme fear.

(verb)

An example of petrify is when wood changes into a stone-like substance over time.
An example of petrify is when a ghost frightens someone nearly to death.

YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2013 by LoveToKnow Corp.

See petrify in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb petrified, petrifying

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

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

intransitive verb

to become petrified

Related Forms:

petrified adjective

See petrify in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb pet·ri·fied, pet·ri·fy·ing, pet·ri·fies

verb, transitive

To convert (wood or other organic matter) into a stony replica by petrifaction.
To cause to become stiff or stonelike; deaden.
To stun or paralyze with terror; daze.

verb, intransitive

To become stony, especially by petrifaction.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English petrifien, to harden

Origin: , from Old French petrifier

Origin: : Latin petra, rock (from Greek petrā; see per-² in Indo-European roots)

Origin: + Old French -fier, -fy

.

Learn more about petrify

petrify synonyms

petrify in a sentence

link/cite print suggestion box

More from YD

Petrified Forest

About YourDictionary Advertisers Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use Help
© 1996-2013 LoveToKnow, Corp. All Rights Reserved. Audio pronunciation provided by LoveToKnow, Corp.