Mummy
/ˈmʌmi/noun
A preserved dead body, especially one intentionally embalmed and wrapped for burial; also, a mother.
Did you know?The English word for an embalmed body ultimately passed through Arabic and Persian forms meaning “bitumen,” because medieval Europeans thought these preserved bodies were coated in a mysterious black healing substance.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Gk
mōmía
“a preserved body, especially one treated with bitumen”
Medieval Latin
Lat
mumia
“bitumen or a medicinal substance scraped from mummies”
Arabic
Ar
mūmiyāʾ
“bitumen, waxy mineral pitch”
Late Middle English
Eng
mummy
“a preserved corpse imported from Egypt and used medicinally”
Modern English
Eng
mummy
“an embalmed dead body; also, mother”