Definitions for petrify
ˈpɛ trəˌfaɪpet·ri·fy

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. petrifyverb

   cause to become stonelike or stiff or dazed and stunned

   "The horror petrified his feelings"; "Fear petrified her thinking"

2. lapidify, petrifyverb

   change into stone

   "the wood petrified with time"

3. rigidify, ossify, petrifyverb

   make rigid and set into a conventional pattern

   "rigidify the training schedule"; "ossified teaching methods"; "slogans petrify our thinking"

GCIDERate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Petrifyverb

   To paralyze, especially with fear; to stupefy; as, she was petrified by the sight of the bear in her tent.

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. petrifyverb

   To harden organic matter by permeating with water and depositing dissolved minerals.

2. petrifyverb

   To produce rigidness akin to stone.

3. petrifyverb

   To immobilize with fright.

4. Etymology: From petrificare, from petra

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To Petrifyverb

   To change to stone.

   Etymology: petrifier, Fr. petra and fio, Lat.

   Schism is markt out by the apostle to the Hebrews, as a kind of petrifying crime, which induces induration. Decay of Piety.

   Though their souls be not yet wholly petrified, yet every act of sin makes gradual approaches to it. Decay of Piety.

   A few resemble petrified wood. John Woodward.

   Full in the midst of Euclid dip at once,
   And petrify a genius to a dunce. Alexander Pope.

2. To Petrifyverb

   To become stone.

   Like Niobe we marble grow,
   And petrify with grief. Dryden.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. petrify

   In geology, petrifaction or petrification (from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra) 'rock, stone') is the process by which organic material becomes a fossil through the replacement of the original material and the filling of the original pore spaces with minerals. Petrified wood typifies this process, but all organisms, from bacteria to vertebrates, can become petrified (although harder, more durable matter such as bone, beaks, and shells survive the process better than softer remains such as muscle tissue, feathers, or skin). Petrifaction takes place through a combination of two similar processes: permineralization and replacement. These processes create replicas of the original specimen that are similar down to the microscopic level.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. petrify

   Petrify is a verb that means to make someone extremely frightened, especially to the point where they are unable to move or think properly. It can also refer to the process of turning something into stone or a stonelike substance, often over a long period of time.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Petrifyverb

   to convert, as any animal or vegetable matter, into stone or stony substance

2. Petrifyverb

   to make callous or obdurate; to stupefy; to paralyze; to transform; as by petrifaction; as, to petrify the heart. Young

3. Petrifyverb

   to become stone, or of a stony hardness, as organic matter by calcareous deposits

4. Petrifyverb

   fig.: To become stony, callous, or obdurate

5. Etymology: [L. petra rock, Gr. pe`tra (akin to pe`tros a stone) + -fy: cf. F. ptrifier. Cf. Parrot, Petrel, Pier.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Petrify

   pet′ri-fī, v.t. to turn into stone: to make hard like a stone: to fix in amazement.—v.i. to become stone, or hard like stone:—pa.t. and pa.p. pet′rified.—n. Petres′cence.—adjs. Petres′cent, growing into or becoming stone; Petric′olous, inhabiting rocks.—n. Petrifac′tion, the act of turning into stone: the state of being turned into stone: that which is made stone: a fossil.—adjs. Petrifac′tive, Petrif′ic, changing animal or vegetable substances into stone; Pet′rifīable.—ns. Petrog′eny, the science of the origin of rocks; Pet′roglyph, a rock-carving.—adj. Petroglyph′ic.—ns. Petrog′lyphy, the art of writing on rocks or stones; Petrog′rapher, a student of petrography.—adjs. Petrograph′ic, -al.—adv. Petrograph′ically.—n. Petrog′raphy, the study of rocks: petrology.—adj. Petrolog′ical.—adv. Petrolog′ically.—ns. Petrol′ogist; Petrol′ogy, the science of the composition and classification of rocks.—adjs. Petrō′sal, of great hardness: petrous; Pē′trous, like stone: hard: rocky. [L. petra—Gr. petra, rock, L. facĕre, factum, to make.]

Matched Categories

1. • Stiffen

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce petrify?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say petrify in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of petrify in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of petrify in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=petrify
2. ^ GCIDE
   https://gcide.gnu.org.ua/?q=petrify
3. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Petrify
4. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=petrify
5. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrify
6. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
7. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petrify
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=petrify
9. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=petrify