mummy

1 of 2

noun

mum·​my ˈmə-mē 

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

mummy

2 of 2

chiefly British spelling of mommy

Examples of mummy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Afrikan-Reparations (APPG-AR), which is made up of parliamentarians, campaigners and community members, released a report Wednesday calling for a ban on the sale and display of ancestral remains, including Egyptian mummies. —Amarachi Orie, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025

Turkish officials’ most recent bust focused on a single mummy. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2025

Like woolly mammoths, these mice have curlier hair — which is the same color of the mammoth mummies found in the permafrost — as well as a gene that should impact the way their bodies metabolize fat. —Susan Young, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025

It is known that several of the mummies were mislabelled so this evidence is pretty shaky. —Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 24 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

1615, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for mummy

• chummy
• crummy
• dummy
• gummy
• ramie
• rummy
• tummy
• yummy

Kids Definition

mummy

noun

mum·​my

ˈməm-ē

plural mummies

1

: a body prepared for burial in the manner of the ancient Egyptians

2

: an unusually well-preserved body