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

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

The West and Israel should be mindful over the apparent change in tempo of Iran’s uranium enrichment and be petrified of losing the wider war of non proliferation in a region unable to step back from the brink. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 28 Sep. 2024

The government - the governor is petrified in Colorado. —CBS News, 22 Sep. 2024

When North Korea tested a ballistic missile in 2009, the public was petrified at first but quickly lost interest. —Takashi Yokota, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2012

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