First Known Use: 1594
Dictionary
petrify
verb pet·ri·fy \ˈpe-trə-ˌfī\
: to make (someone) very afraid
: to slowly change (something, such as wood) into stone or a substance like stone over a very long period of time
pet·ri·fiedpet·ri·fy·ing
Full Definition of PETRIFY
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 Review> 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
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Origin of PETRIFY
Middle French petrifier, from petr- + -ifier -ify
Related to PETRIFY
Rhymes with PETRIFY
abide by, Adonai, alibi, alkali, amplify, apple-pie, argufy, assegai, azo dye, basify, beautify, butterfly, by-and-by, caddis fly, calcify, certify, Chou En-lai, citify, clarify, classify, coalify, cockneyfy, codify, college try, cottage pie, crucify, cut-and-try, cutie-pie, DIY, damnify, damselfly, dandify, deify, densify, dignify, dobsonfly, do-or-die, dragonfly, dulcify, eagle eye, edify, evil eye, falsify, fancify, fortify, frenchify, fructify, gasify, Gemini, gentrify, glorify, goggle-eye, goldeneye, gratify, Haggai, harvest fly, hexerei, high and dry, hip and thigh, Hokusai, hook and eye, horrify, hoverfly, humble pie, Iceni, justify, kiss good-bye, lazy eye, lignify, liquefy, lithify, Lorelei, lullaby, Madurai, magnify, Malachi, Maracay, minify, modify, mollify, Molokai, Mordecai, mortify, multi-ply, multiply, mummify, mystify, nazify, notify, nullify, occupy, old school tie, on standby, on the fly, ossify, overbuy, overfly, overlie, pacify, Paraguay, passerby, peccavi, PPI, preachify, prettify, private eye, prophesy, purify, putrefy, qualify, quantify, ramify, rarefy, ratify, RBI, rectify, reify, res gestae, robber fly, runner's high, Russify, samurai, sanctify, satisfy, scarify, schwarmerei, semidry, set store by, shepherd's pie, shoofly pie, signify, simplify, Spanish fly, specify, speechify, stratify, stultify, stupefy, sweetie pie, Tenebrae, terrify, testify, tie-and-dye, tigereye, Trans Alai, tumble dry, typify, uglify, underlie, unify, Uruguay, Veneti, verify, versify, vilify, vinify, vitrify, vivify, weather eye, Windsor tie, xanthene dye, yuppify, zombify
PETRIFY Defined for Kids
petrify
verb pet·ri·fy \ˈpe-trə-ˌfī\
pet·ri·fiedpet·ri·fy·ing
Definition of PETRIFY for Kids
1
: to change plant or animal matter into stone or something like stone <petrified wood>
2
: to frighten very much <Lightning petrifies me.>
Medical Dictionary
petrify
verb pet·ri·fy \ˈpe-trə-ˌfī\
pet·ri·fiedpet·ri·fy·ing
Medical Definition of PETRIFY
transitive verb
: to convert (organic matter) into stone or a stony substance
intransitive verb
: to become stone or like stone
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