noun
mummy
MUM-ee/ˈmʌmi/
A dead body preserved from decay, especially by drying and wrapping.
The museum displays an ancient mummy wrapped in strips of linen.
Etymology
Mumia was associated with medicine obtained from preserved bodies, which were believed to contain medicinal asphalt. English mummy first named such a substance, then came to name the embalmed body itself.
In context
waiting for us. [narrator] They found his mummified head next to his body, making it the oldest fully preserved mummy ever found.
More examples
- Archaeologists discovered three mummies inside the tomb.
- The dry desert air naturally preserved the body as a mummy.
- A scan of the cat mummy reveals its bones beneath the wrappings.
Forms
mummy · mummies
mummify verb — To preserve a body from decay.
mummification noun — The process of preserving a dead body.