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

Think outside the box, or rather, the sarcophagus, and take your crush to the closest museum to sniff the mummies. —Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 14 Feb. 2025

One of the mummies was even found with a heart scarab. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024

In Egypt, the disease can be traced back as far as 4000 BCE, with evidence of the disease being found in some mummies. —Devika Rao, theweek, 31 Oct. 2024

Infrared imaging can help, but in an innovative twist, scientists decided to use lasers that make skin glow ever so faintly, revealing many fine hidden details of tattoos found on 1,200-year-old Peruvian mummies, according to a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. —Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 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

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