petrifying
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Related to petrifying: silicification
pet·ri·fy
(pĕt′rə-fī′)tr.v. pet·ri·fied, pet·ri·fy·ing, pet·ri·fies
1. To convert (wood or other organic matter) into a stony replica by petrifaction.
2. To cause to lose vitality or become impervious to change; deaden: a routine that petrified her thinking.
3. To stun or paralyze with terror; daze.
[Middle English petrifien, to harden, from Old French petrifier : Latin petra, rock (from Greek petrā; see per- in Indo-European roots) + Old French -fier, -fy.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
petrifying
(ˈpɛtrɪfaɪɪŋ)adj
stunning or dazing with horror, fear, etc
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
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| Adj. | 1. | petrifying - paralyzing with terror alarming - frightening because of an awareness of danger |
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Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005