Embalm

//ɪmˈbɑm// verb

verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To treat a corpse with preservatives in order to prevent decomposition. transitive

    "And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father."

  2. 2
    preserve a dead body wordnet
  3. 3
    To preserve. figuratively, transitive

    "There are districts of Canada mainly settled from Paisley and neighbourhood, the hivings off at such seasons as we have referred to, with whose settlement he had not a little to do, and where his memory is embalmed."

  4. 4
    To perfume or add fragrance to something. transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
anhydratearomatizeblast-freezebrinecensecorn

Example

More examples

"And he commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father."

Etymology

From Middle English enbawmen, from Middle French embaumer, from Old French embasmer. See balm.

More for "embalm"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.