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- pronunciation:
- pe
tr
faI
- parts of speech:
- transitive verb, intransitive verb
- features:
- Word Combinations (verb), Word Parts
| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
petrifies, petrifying, petrified |
| definition 1: |
to turn (organic matter) into stone.
Minerals left behind by water petrify wood by replacing the wood's cells when they die.
- similar words:
- calcify, deaden, fossilize, freeze, harden, numb, stiffen
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| definition 2: |
to make stiff, numb, or lifeless; deaden.
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| definition 3: |
to daze or paralyze, as with terror or astonishment.
The sudden scream in the night petrified all the campers.The news of the disaster petrified us.- similar words:
- astonish, astound, daze, frighten, immobilize, paralyze, stun, terrify
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| part of speech: |
intransitive verb |
| definition: |
to turn into stone; become petrified.
It takes many years for wood to petrify.- similar words:
- fossilize, harden, ossify, solidify
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| derivations: |
petrifiable (adj.), petrified (adj.), petrifaction (n.), petrification (n.) |
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