Zombify
/ˈzɒm.bɪ.faɪ/noun
To turn someone or something into a zombie-like state.
Did you know?The word ultimately traces back to West African terms for a spirit or fetish, then passed through Caribbean Creole and Haitian Vodou before English turned it into a verb.
Etymological Timeline
West African languages
Various
nzambi / zumbi (related forms)
“A spirit, god, or corpse-like animated being in some early source traditions”
17th–18th Century
Portuguese/Creole
zombi / zumbi
“A ghost, spirit, or reanimated being in Caribbean colonial usage”
19th Century
French
zombi
“A dead person reanimated by supernatural means, especially in Haitian contexts”
20th Century
English
zombie
“A reanimated corpse; later, a person in a dazed, unthinking state”
20th Century
English
zombify
“To make zombie-like; to dull, drain, or animate in a mindless way”