Mummy Meaning
/ˈmʌm.i/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounAn embalmed human or non-human animal corpse wrapped in linen bandages for burial, especially as practised by the ancient Egyptians and some Native American tribes.
nounA reanimated embalmed human corpse, as a stock character in horror films.
Sentence Examples
Mummy and Daddy are very nervous.
Mummy has to do the washing this afternoon.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ancient Egyptian tomb contained a ____ wrapped in linen and covered with jewels.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The museum exhibition features a very well-preserved ____ from ancient Egypt, along with several different gold treasures and various other interesting historical artifacts.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English mummie, from Anglo-Norman mumie, from Middle French momie, from Medieval Latin mumia, from Arabic مُومِيَاء (mūmiyāʔ), from Persian مومیا (mumyâ), from موم (mum, “wax”). Doublet of mumijo.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
"But, more horrible, I had not failed to note that its purplish gleaming body resembled that of a human being - or of a chrysalis encasing one - or of a mummy!"
— 1930, Sax Rohmer, The Day the World Ended, published 1969, page ii. 17:
"Many people believed in the curse of the mummy, and soon, the curse had become an accepted part of Tut′s legend."
— 2008, Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, Mysteries Unwrapped: The Real Monsters, page 2:
"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:
"'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."
— 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ancient Egyptian tomb contained a ____ wrapped in linen and covered with jewels.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The museum exhibition features a very well-preserved ____ from ancient Egypt, along with several different gold treasures and various other interesting historical artifacts.