mummy
See also: Mummy
English
An Egyptian mummy (embalmed corpse) at the Musée du Louvre, Paris
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmʌmi/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ʌmi
Audio (UK) (file)
Etymology 1
From Middle English mummie, from Anglo-Norman mumie, from Middle French momie, from Medieval Latin mumia, from Arabic مُومِيَاء (mūmiyāʾ), from Persian مومیا (mumyâ), from موم (mum, “wax”). Doublet of mumijo.
Noun
mummy (countable and uncountable, plural mummies)
- (countable) An embalmed human or animal corpse wrapped in linen bandages for burial, especially as practised by the ancient Egyptians and some Native American tribes. [from 17th c.]
- 1832, Royal Society (Great Britain), Abstracts of The Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, From 1800 to 1830 inclusive, Volume 1: 1800-1814, page 201,
- […] Mr. Pearson proceeds to give a particular description of the very perfect mummy of an Ibis, which forms the chief subject of the present paper.
- 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, OCLC 1167497017:
- Leo was the first to discover what these burdens were. `Great heaven!' he said, `they are corpses on fire!' I stared and stared again - he was perfectly right - the torches that were to light our entertainment were human mummies from the caves! On rushed the bearers of the flaming corpses, and, meeting at a spot about twenty paces in front of us, built their ghastly burdens crossways into a huge bonfire.
- 2008, Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen,, Mysteries Unwrapped: The Real Monsters, page 2,
- Many people believed in the curse of the mummy, and soon, the curse had become an accepted part of Tut′s legend.
- 1832, Royal Society (Great Britain), Abstracts of The Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, From 1800 to 1830 inclusive, Volume 1: 1800-1814, page 201,
- (countable, by extension) A reanimated embalmed human corpse, as a stock character in horror films. [from 20th c.]
- 2007, S. T. Joshi, Icons of Horror and the Supernatural: An Encyclopedia of Our Worst Nightmares, Volume 1, page 376,
- For many, mummies fascinate more than repel. Our horrific connotations lie not so much with the mummy itself, but in associated fears. The mummy serves, of course, as a general reminder of our own mortality and our fear of death, but this alone is not enough to make it a monster.
- 2007, S. T. Joshi, Icons of Horror and the Supernatural: An Encyclopedia of Our Worst Nightmares, Volume 1, page 376,
- (countable, by extension) Any naturally preserved human or animal body. [from 18th c.]
- (countable, uncountable, now rare) A brown pigment originally prepared from the ground-up remains of Egyptian animal or human mummies mixed with bitumen, etc. [from 19th c.]
- Synonym: mummy brown
- 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, OCLC 1167497017:
- 'Mummy,' that is pounded ancient Egyptian, is, I believe, a pigment much used by artists, and especially by those of them who direct their talents to the reproduction of the works of the old masters.
- (uncountable, now rare) A pulp. [from 17th c.]
- 1755, Tobias Smollett, translating Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, Volume 1, I.4:
- Going up to him, therefore, he laid hold on his lance, and breaking it, began to thresh him so severely, that, in spite of the resistance of his armour, he was almost beaten into mummy […] .
- 1837, Mathew Carey, Vindiciae Hibernicae (page 116)
- You may beat them to a mummy, you may put them upon the rack, you may burn them on a gridiron, […] yet you will never remove them from that innate fidelity […]
- 1755, Tobias Smollett, translating Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, Volume 1, I.4:
- (uncountable, medicine, now historical) A substance used in medicine, prepared from mummified flesh. [from 14th c.]
- 1978, Benjamin Walker, Encyclopedia of Metaphysical Medicine, Routledge 1978, p. 253:
- Yet another scatological medicament was obtained from mummy, the material derived from a dried or embalmed human corpse, the most valuable being that imported from Mizraim (ancient Egypt).
- 2006, Philip Ball, The Devil's Doctor, Arrow 2007, p. 360:
- Nonetheless, his book advertises many Paracelsian remedies, including laudanum, mummy, antimony and mercury.
- 1634, T[homas] H[erbert], A Relation of Some Yeares Travaile, Begunne Anno 1626. into Afrique and the Greater Asia, […], London: […] William Stansby, and Jacob Bloome, OCLC 869931719:
- In or near this place is a precious liquor, or mummy, growing, Mumnaky-koobasa they call it, which none presumes to take, it being carefully preserved for the King's sole use.
- 1978, Benjamin Walker, Encyclopedia of Metaphysical Medicine, Routledge 1978, p. 253:
- (uncountable, horticulture, obsolete) A sort of wax used in grafting. [18th c.]
Derived terms
Terms derived from mummy (noun)
- mummia
- mummification
- mummiform
- mummify
- mummy brown
- mummy nut
Translations
embalmed corpse
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See also
- Thesaurus:corpse
Verb
mummy (third-person singular simple present mummies, present participle mummying, simple past and past participle mummied)
- (transitive, dated) To mummify.
Etymology 2
Diminutive of mum, related to mom and mommy, from mother.
Noun
mummy (plural mummies)
- (chiefly UK, usually childish) mother.
- 1926, John Steinbeck, The Saturday Evening Post, Volume 198, page 9,
- “Oh, mummy, would you like the loveliest daughter-in-law in the world? Oh, mummy, I must marry Flora Dewsley. But I know I am not nearly good enough, mummy. She knows nothing of the world and its wickedness, and I — Well, mummy, at school, a fellow learns everything. And no man is perfect, is he, mummy? […] ”
- 1927, Harper's Magazine, Volume 155, page 188,
- Meeting mummy after this visit was not exactly easy.
- 2003, Lionel Shriver, We Need to Talk About Kevin, 2010, unnumbered page,
- “ […] What′s your problem, you little shit? Proud of yourself, for ruining Mummy′s life?” I was careful to use the insipid falsetto the experts commend. “You′ve got Daddy snowed, but Mummy′s got your number. You're a little shit, aren′t you?″
- 2004, Dennis Child, Psychology and the Teacher, Continuum International Publishing, page 91,
- ‘ […] We have to ask mummy if we can go to Rajah′s mummy′s house (Rajah′s mummy is the owner of the dog). We can if mummy says “yes”. […] ’
- 2009, Paul Harding, Tinkers, 2010, unnumbered page,
- Darla stared at her father and said, Mummy, Mummy, Mummy!
- Marjorie wheezed and said, Father. You. Are. Filthy!
- Joe said Daddy′s muddy! Daddy′s muddy!
- Darla stared at the darkened doorway where Howard stood, saying, Mummy, Mummy, Mummy, each time a little louder, each time a bit more shrilly, […] .
- 1926, John Steinbeck, The Saturday Evening Post, Volume 198, page 9,
Alternative forms
- mommy (US)
Derived terms
- mummy's boy
- mummy porn
- yummy mummy
Translations
child's term for mother
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