| 单词 | petrify |
| 释义 | petrify (once / 1948 pages) v If you scare someone so much they can't move, you petrify them. Petrify is to make something like a stone or to literally turn to stone. At the heart of the word petrify is the Latin word petra which means "stone." In the scientific sense, wood petrifies in an environment without oxygen, say when it is buried by lava, and minerals such as silica enter the wood and fill the cells, making it hard as stone. More commonly, something petrifies a person or an animal when it scares them very much. During thunderstorms, the dog is so petrified that it hides under the bed. If you are in a store when it is being robbed, you might be petrified too. WORD FAMILYpetrify: petrifaction, petrification, petrified, petrifies, petrifying+/petrifaction: petrifactions/petrification: petrifications/petrifying: petrifyingly USAGE EXAMPLESCrows soared above sandstone walls as we ran our hands along petrified sand dunes and felt cool mystery. New York Times(Jan 01, 2017) She was petrified of being separated from her child but even more terrified of appearing timid before her comrades, whose approval she craved. New York Times(Jan 12, 2012) And then, about 10 minutes later, absolutely petrified. Los Angeles Times(Dec 29, 2016) 1v change into stone the wood petrified with time Syn|Hyper lapidify fossilise, fossilize convert to a fossil 2v make rigid and set into a conventional pattern slogans petrify our thinking Syn|Hyper ossify, rigidify stiffen make stiff or stiffer 3v cause to become stonelike or stiff or dazed and stunned The horror petrified his feelings Fear petrifi ed her thinking Hyper blunt, deaden make less lively, intense, or vigorous; impair in vigor, force, activity, or sensation |
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