A petrified plant or animal has died and has gradually turned into stone. a block of petrified wood
A fossil that has turned to stone As the organic material decays, it is slowly replaced by minerals, leaving a cast in stone of the organism or some of its parts
(3 syl ) The petrified city Ishmonie, in Upper Egypt, is so called from the number of petrified bodies of men, women, and children to be seen there (Latin, petra-fio, to become rock )
{s} dumbfounded; frightened; silenced by fear; turned to stone as a result of mineral-laden water (about wood)
adj describes an organic object that has been turned to stone, such as wood, by fossilization processes See Permineralized
If you are petrified, you are extremely frightened, perhaps so frightened that you cannot think or move. I've always been petrified of being alone Most people seem to be petrified of snakes. = terrified
so frightened as to be unable to move; stunned or paralyzed with terror; "petrified with fear"; "she was petrified by the eerie sound"; "too numb with fear to move"
A process of fossilization in which the cells of an organism are replaced by minerals
National park, eastern Arizona, U.S. Established as a national monument in 1906 and as a national park in 1962, it has an area of 146 sq mi (378 sq km). It features extensive exhibits of petrified wood in several "forest" areas, fossilized leaves, plants, and broken logs, and the Painted Desert. Other features include petroglyphs and ancient Pueblo Indian ruins
Fossil formed by the infiltration of minerals into cavities between and within cells of natural wood, usually by silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2) or calcite (calcium carbonate, CaCO3). Often this replacement of organic tissue by mineral deposits is so precise that the internal structure as well as the external shape is faithfully represented; sometimes even the cell structure may be determined
If something petrifies you, it makes you feel very frightened. Prison petrifies me and I don't want to go there. = terrify + petrifying pet·ri·fy·ing I found the climb absolutely petrifying. = terrifying