verb
petrify
To turn organic material into stone through mineral deposits or replacement.
Minerals in groundwater slowly petrify the buried wood over time.
Etymology
The components mean stone and make. Petrification makes material stone-like through mineral deposition or replacement, preserving the literal image built into the word.
More examples
- These tree trunks petrified long before people lived here.
- Buried plant material can petrify under the right conditions.
- The museum displays a piece of petrified wood.
Forms
petrify · petrifies · petrified · petrifying
petrification noun — The conversion of organic material into stone.
Similar words
- fossilize
- Preserves remains or traces, not necessarily by turning them to stone.
- mineralize
- Adds or replaces material with minerals, without necessarily forming fossils.