Mummy

Mummy
   The body of a human or animal that has been artificially preserved. Practiced in many parts of the world, the most notable practitioners were in ancient Egypt. They began embalming people sometime before 4000 BC, and continued for over 30 centuries. The Egyptians embalmed about 730,000,000 people, and several million are still awaiting discovery in unknown tombs and burial sites. The mummy was made by removing the brain and internal organs. The internal organs went into Canopic Jars. The brain's function was unknown, so it was thrown away. The body cavity was then filled with balsamic herbs and other substances, then the body was covered with natrin (carbonate of soda) to dry it out. After the body was dry, the body cavity was then filled with bituminous and aromatic substances and salt. Cloths saturated with similar materials were wrapped around the body.
   The Egyptian embalming process was so good that, even after 3,000 years, the soles of the feet of some mummies are still soft and elastic. See Canopic Jars and Sarcophagus.

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  • Mummy — Mum my (m[u^]m m[y^]), n.; pl. {Mummies} (m[u^]m m[i^]z). [F. momie; cf. Sp. & Pg. momia, It. mummia; all fr. Per. m[=u]miy[=a], fr. m[=u]m wax.] 1. A dead body embalmed and dried after the manner of the ancient Egyptians; also, a body preserved …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mummy & Me — Directed by Jithu Joseph Produced by Jithin Arts Starring …   Wikipedia

  • mummy — mummy1 [mum′ē] n. pl. mummies [Fr momie < ML mumia < Ar mūmiyāʾ, embalmed body, mummy < Pers mum, wax] 1. a dead body preserved by embalming, as by the ancient Egyptians 2. any dead body that has been naturally well preserved 3. any thin …   English World dictionary

  • mummy — Ⅰ. mummy [1] ► NOUN (pl. mummies) Brit. informal ▪ one s mother. ORIGIN perhaps an alteration of earlier MAMMY(Cf. ↑M). Ⅱ. mummy [2] ► …   English terms dictionary

  • Mummy — Mum my, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Mummied}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Mummying}.] To embalm; to mummify. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mummy — For other uses, see Mummy (disambiguation). An Egyptian mummy kept in the Vatican Museums. A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness… …   Wikipedia

  • mummy — mummy1 /mum ee/, n., pl. mummies, v., mummied, mummying. n. 1. the dead body of a human being or animal preserved by the ancient Egyptian process or some similar method of embalming. 2. a dead body dried and preserved by nature. 3. a withered or… …   Universalium

  • mummy — [[t]mʌ̱mi[/t]] mummies 1) N FAMILY Some people, especially young children, call their mother mummy. [BRIT, INFORMAL] I want my mummy... Mummy, I m tired!... Mummy says I can play out in the garden. (in AM, use mommy) 2) N COUNT A mummy is a dead… …   English dictionary

  • mummy —    A word used by young children to their mother. Boys usually stop using this form by the age of twelve or so, though usage varies with each family. Girls, especially middle class girls, are likely to continue using it much longer. Examples of… …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

  • mummy — {{11}}mummy (n.1) c.1400, medicine prepared from mummy tissue, from M.L. mumia, from Arabic mumiyah embalmed body, from Pers. mumiya asphalt, from mum wax. Sense of embalmed body first recorded in English 1610s. Mummy wheat (1842) was said to be… …   Etymology dictionary

  • mummy — I. noun (plural mummies) Etymology: Middle English mummie powdered parts of a mummified body used as a drug, from Anglo French mumie, from Medieval Latin mumia mummy, powdered mummy, from Arabic mūmiya bitumen, mummy, from Persian mūm wax Date:… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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