petrify

verb

pet·​ri·​fy ˈpe-trə-ˌfī 

petrified; petrifying

transitive verb

1

: to convert (organic matter) into stone or a substance of stony hardness by the infiltration of water and the deposition of dissolved mineral matter

2

: to make rigid or inert like stone:

a

: to make lifeless or inactive : deaden

slogans are apt to petrify a man's thinking

—Saturday Rev.

b

: to confound with fear, amazement, or awe

a novel about an airline pilot that will petrify you

—Martin Levin

intransitive verb

: to become stone or of stony hardness or rigidity

Synonyms

• castrate
• damp
• dampen
• deaden
• dehydrate
• desiccate
• devitalize
• enervate
• geld
• lobotomize

Examples of petrify in a Sentence

the processes that petrify wood

The dead tree petrified into stone.

Recent Examples on the Web

Medusa was known in ancient Greece for petrifying anyone who dared to look her in the eye, and has been seen as a personification of madness. —Sarah Belmont, ARTnews.com, 17 Dec. 2024

Numb to controversy: After constant scandals, Trump is desensitized to infernos that would petrify anyone else in business or politics. —Axios, 25 Nov. 2024

The thought of Alvarez running, jumping, sliding or injuring himself — for a team still missing Tucker — petrifies Espada. —Chandler Rome, The Athletic, 22 Aug. 2024

The body was supposedly petrified by sap, and the loggers found several gold coins dating to the late 1600s, as well as pieces of paper identifying the person as Pierre D’Artagnan. —Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English petrifien (as past participle petrified), borrowed from Medieval Latin petrificāre, from Latin petra "rock, boulder, crag" (borrowed from Greek pétra) + -ificāre -ify — more at petro-

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

petrify

verb

pet·​ri·​fy ˈpe-trə-ˌfī 

petrified; petrifying

1

: to convert into stone or a stony substance by the penetration of water and the depositing of minerals which were dissolved in the water

petrified wood

2

: to make lifeless or inactive : deaden

3

: to paralyze with fear, amazement, or awe : stun

Medical Definition

petrify

verb

pet·​ri·​fy ˈpe-trə-ˌfī 

petrified; petrifying

transitive verb

: to convert (organic matter) into stone or a stony substance

intransitive verb

: to become stone or like stone