petrifying
petrifying Lexical Profile
petrifying Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Causing such extreme fear or terror that one feels unable to move or think.
"Looking down from the edge of the sheer cliff was a petrifying experience."
Having the property of turning organic matter into stone through mineral replacement or encrustation.
"Visitors to the cavern marveled at the petrifying spring that gradually coats everyday objects in a layer of limestone."
• verb
To make someone so frightened that they are unable to move or think (present participle of petrify).
"The sudden roar in the dark forest was petrifying the campers."
To change organic matter into a stony substance by encrusting or replacing its original tissues with minerals (present participle of petrify).
"Over millions of years, mineral-rich groundwater was slowly petrifying the fallen trees."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the verb petrify, borrowed from Middle French pétrifier, from Medieval Latin petrificare ('to turn into stone'), combining Latin petra ('rock, stone', from Ancient Greek πέτρα) and -ficare ('to make').