pétrifier

to petrify

verb peh-tree-FYEH Rare

Origin: Latin 'petra' (stone)

Also means

to paralyse with fear

Usage Note

Pétrifier is most often used figuratively in French, meaning to freeze someone with shock or terror. The past participle pétrifié functions freely as an adjective: il était pétrifié de terreur. The literal geological sense (turning to stone) appears mainly in scientific writing.

Examples

"La nouvelle l'a complètement pétrifié."

Natural Translation

The news completely petrified him.

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