mummify

/ˈmʌmɪfaɪ/
verb
  1. To preserve a dead body by treating it with chemicals, wrapping it in cloth, and drying it, especially as done in ancient Egypt.
    • The ancient Egyptians would mummify their pharaohs to prepare them for the afterlife.
    • Scientists are still studying how the Inca people mummified their dead in the Andes mountains.
    • In the museum exhibit, visitors can see how priests used special oils and linen to mummify a body.
  2. To dry up or shrivel something so it looks like a mummy.
    • The old apple left in the sun began to mummify, turning brown and wrinkled.
    • Without proper humidity, the leather book covers started to mummify and crack.
    • The desert heat can mummify small animals that die in the open.
What does "mummify" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean