noun
mummy
MUHM-ee
noun
1
A dead body preserved through embalming and wrapping, especially as practised in ancient Egypt.
"The museum's star exhibit is a 3,000-year-old mummy."
2
British word for mother, especially used by or to young children.
"Mummy, can I have a biscuit?"
How to Use Mummy
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither an embalmed body preserved long-term, or (informally) mother.
UK vs US
"Mummy" (mother) is used in British English; American English uses "mommy."
Easily confused with
Word Forms
mummied past tense, mummies plural, mummies plural, mummies singular
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The museum's star exhibit is a 3,000-year-old _____.
Etymology
From Arabic mūmiyāʔ via Persian mumyā ("wax"), passing through Medieval Latin and French into English.