Definition of "petrify" in English

verb

1. (transitive) To turn to stone: to harden organic matter by permeating with water and depositing dissolved minerals.

2. To produce rigidity akin to stone.

3. To immobilize with fright.

4. (intransitive) To become stone, or of a stony hardness, as organic matter by calcareous deposits.

5. (intransitive, figurative) To become stony, callous, or obdurate.

6. (transitive, figurative) To make callous or obdurate; to stupefy; to paralyze; to transform; as by petrification.