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

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

Get The Recipe These Oreo cookie balls resemble mummies, and that's a good enough reason to serve them up at your Halloween party. —Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2024

The international research effort is the first systematic odor and chemical analysis of multiple Egyptian mummies from a range of time periods. —Sarah Everts, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 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