Petrifaction
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Petrification. countable, uncountable
- 2 a rock created by petrifaction; an organic object infiltrated with mineral matter and preserved in its original form wordnet
- 3 An object that has become petrified. countable, uncountable
"An Indian cabinet, consisting of a small but choice collection of petrefactions and fossils, was placed in a recess at the bottom of the room; a few paintings and portraits from the pencil of the most eminent artists adorned the walls."
- 4 the process of turning some plant material into stone by infiltration with water carrying mineral particles without changing the original shape wordnet
- 5 The condition of being petrified. countable, uncountable
"The crisp leaves of holly, mistletoe, and ivy reflected back the light, as if so many little mirrors had been scattered there; and such a mighty blaze went roaring up the chimney, as that dull petrifaction of a hearth had never known in Scrooge's time, or Marley's, or for many and many a winter season gone."
Example
More examples"An Indian cabinet, consisting of a small but choice collection of petrefactions and fossils, was placed in a recess at the bottom of the room; a few paintings and portraits from the pencil of the most eminent artists adorned the walls."
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.