mummify

[muhm-uh-fahy] /ˈmʌm əˌfaɪ/
verb (used with object), mummified, mummifying.
1.
to make (a dead body) into a mummy, as by embalming and drying.
2.
to make (something) resemble a mummy; dry or shrivel up:
The dead lizard was mummified by the hot desert air.
3.
to preserve (an idea, institution, custom, etc.) that may have outlived its usefulness or relevance:
Those mummified customs have no place in society today.
verb (used without object), mummified, mummifying.
4.
to dry or shrivel up.
Origin
1620-30; mummy1 + -fy
Related forms
mummification, noun
half-mummified, adjective
unmummified, adjective
unmummifying, adjective
Examples from the web for mummify
  • In this arid and cold climate without the presence of scavengers, bodies mummify and remain for years.
  • Under some conditions, especially in well populated leaf or stem galls, numerous individuals will mummify without crawling away.
British Dictionary definitions for mummify

mummify

/ˈmʌmɪˌfaɪ/
verb -fies, -fying, -fied
1.
(transitive) to preserve the body of (a human or animal) as a mummy
2.
(intransitive) to dry up; shrivel
3.
(transitive) to preserve (an outdated idea, institution, etc) while making lifeless
Derived Forms
mummification, noun
Word Origin and History for mummify
v.

1620s, from French momifier, from momie "mummy," from Medieval Latin mumia (see mummy) + -fier "to make into" (see -fy). Related: Mummified; mummifying.