# petrify

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈpɛ.tɹəˌfaɪ/

## Definitions
1. To turn to stone: to harden organic matter by permeating with water and depositing dissolved minerals.
2. To produce rigidity akin to stone.
3. To immobilize with fright.
4. To become stone, or of a stony hardness, as organic matter by calcareous deposits.
5. To become stony, callous, or obdurate.
6. To make callous or obdurate; to stupefy; to paralyze; to transform; as by petrification.

## Etymology
From Middle French pétrifier, from Medieval Latin petrificāre, from Latin petra (“rock”), from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra, “rock”) + -ficāre, from facere (“do, make”), equivalent to petro- + -ify.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/petrify