Petrify

['petrɪfaɪ] or ['pɛtrɪfaɪ]

Definition

(verb.) cause to become stonelike or stiff or dazed and stunned; 'The horror petrified his feelings'; 'Fear petrified her thinking'.

Typist: Ronald--From WordNet

Definition

(v. t.) To convert, as any animal or vegetable matter, into stone or stony substance.

(v. t.) To make callous or obdurate; to stupefy; to paralyze; to transform; as by petrifaction; as, to petrify the heart. Young.

(v. i.) To become stone, or of a stony hardness, as organic matter by calcareous deposits.

(v. i.) Fig.: To become stony, callous, or obdurate.

Edited by Dorothy

Synonyms and Synonymous

v. a. [1]. Change to stone.[2]. Make callous, make obdurate.[3]. Astonish, amaze, astound, dumfounder, confound, stupefy, take by surprise, strike dumb.

Editor: Michel

Synonyms and Antonyms

SYN:Astound, electrify, dismay, horrify, appal, stun, stupefy, dumbfounder

ANT:Reassure, tranquillize

Editor: Madge

Definition

v.t. to turn into stone: to make hard like a stone: to fix in amazement.—v.i. to become stone or hard like stone:—pa.t. and pa.p. pet′rified.—n. Petres′cence.—adjs. Petres′cent growing into or becoming stone; Petric′olous inhabiting rocks.—n. Petrifac′tion the act of turning into stone: the state of being turned into stone: that which is made stone: a fossil.—adjs. Petrifac′tive Petrif′ic changing animal or vegetable substances into stone; Pet′rifīable.—ns. Petrog′eny the science of the origin of rocks; Pet′roglyph a rock-carving.—adj. Petroglyph′ic.—ns. Petrog′lyphy the art of writing on rocks or stones; Petrog′rapher a student of petrography.—adjs. Petrograph′ic -al.—adv. Petrograph′ically.—n. Petrog′raphy the study of rocks: petrology.—adj. Petrolog′ical.—adv. Petrolog′ically.—ns. Petrol′ogist; Petrol′ogy the science of the composition and classification of rocks.—adjs. Petrō′sal of great hardness: petrous; Pē′trous like stone: hard: rocky.

Checker: Sumner