petrify
/ˈpɛtrəˌfaɪ/
verb
- To make someone very frightened, so that they cannot move or think clearly.
- The loud crash in the middle of the night petrified the children.
- The thought of speaking in front of a large audience petrifies him.
- She was petrified when she saw the snake slither across the path.
- To turn organic material into stone or a stony substance over a long period of time.
- The scientists studied how minerals can petrify wood in certain environments.
- Over millions of years, the fallen trees slowly petrified into beautiful fossils.
- This ancient forest was petrified by volcanic ash and groundwater.