mummy

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noun mum·my \ ˈmə-mē \

Definition of mummy

plural mummies

1 a :a body embalmed or treated for burial with preservatives in the manner of the ancient Egyptians

b :a body unusually well preserved

2 :one resembling a mummy

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Recent Examples of mummy from the Web

Verbs Senator mentored, grief deconstructed, hair dryers celebrated, alien mummies faked.

— rosa inocencio smith, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic Daily: On the Wray In," 12 July 2017
Brickman and Elice's script strings out a plot as thin as hair on a mummy's head, and every song in Andrew Lippa's score will be forgotten by the time the air conditioner cools your car seat on the drive home.

— lee williams, OregonLive.com, "'The Addams Family' at Broadway Rose is a killer summer escape (review)," 2 July 2017
Scientists have virtually undressed mummies, diagnosed from beyond the grave, and exposed miscarriages and 3,000-year-old scams.

— thomas page, CNN, "DNA discovery reveals genetic history of ancient Egyptians," 22 June 2017
Researchers analyzed DNA from 209 ancient cats as old as 9,000 years from Europe, Africa and Asia, including some ancient Egyptian cat mummies.

— malcolm ritter, The Christian Science Monitor, "New study shows ancients cats traveled the world with their human owners," 19 June 2017
African-origin DNA was identified in cat mummies in ancient Egypt, where cats were revered and even represented by their own goddess, Bastet.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Genomics study tells the tail, er, tale of domestic cats," 19 June 2017
Naturally and intentionally preserved human and animal mummies dating as far back as 4,500 years will be presented in the largest such exhibition ever assembled.

— dan kelly, kansascity, "KC events June 16-21: David Sedaris, Boulevardia, Juneteenth, ‘Mummies of the World’," 13 June 2017
A TALE OF TWO MUMMIES The Mummy looks set to be another tentpole movie that delivers overseas but disappoints domestically.

— rebecca keegan, HWD, "When a Movie Is Both a Bomb and a Hit," 8 June 2017
Not by witches or mummies or ghouls, but by Hollywood's hunger for yet another cinematic universe.

— jordan hoffman, Popular Mechanics, "'The Mummy' Should've Stayed in the Sarcophagus," 7 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mummy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of mummy

Middle English mummie powdered parts of a mummified body used as a drug, from Anglo-French mumie, from Medieval Latin mumia mummy, powdered mummy, from Arabic mūmiya bitumen, mummy, from Persian mūm wax

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First Known Use: 1615

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mummy

Definition of mummy

chiefly British spelling of mommy

MUMMY Defined for Kids

mummy

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noun mum·my \ ˈmə-mē \

Definition of mummy for Students

plural mummies

:a dead body preserved for burial in the manner of the ancient Egyptians

Learn More about mummy

See words that rhyme with mummy Spanish Central: Translation of mummy Nglish: Translation of mummy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of mummy for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mummy

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