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In some senses, petrify is marked as figuratively. Watch for register when choosing this word.
petrify
/ˈpɛ.tɹəˌfaɪ/
verb 5
Collocations
3VERB + PETRIFY
grow
PETRIFY + NOUN
grief
PREP.
after, with
Definitions
verb
1
To turn to stone: to harden organic matter by permeating with water and depositing dissolved minerals.
a river that petrifies any sort of wood or leaves
2
To produce rigidity akin to stone.
3
To immobilize with fright.
4
To become stone, or of a stony hardness, as organic matter by calcareous deposits.
5
To become stony, callous, or obdurate.
Like Niobe we marble grow, / And petrify with grief.
Hopes, feelings, and passion, petrify one after another; the crust of experience soon hardens over the hidden past; and who, looking on the levelled and subdued exterior, could dream of the wreck and ravage that lies below?
Thesaurus
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
301
a river that petrifies any sort of wood or leaves
Wiktionary02
Like Niobe we marble grow, / And petrify with grief.
Wiktionary03
Hopes, feelings, and passion, petrify one after another; the crust of experience soon hardens over the hidden past; and who, looking on the levelled and subdued exterior, could dream of the wreck and
WiktionaryUsage Notes
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