Petrified

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Transformed into a stony substance over time ; extremely scared or filled with fear
2. Changed into a rigid, stone-like state through a natural process ; immobilized by intense fright or terror
3. Converted into a mineral form as a result of fossilization ; so frightened that one is unable to move or act

Etymology: The most striking thing about "petrified" is that its core meaning is literal: to turn something into stone. The verb "petrify" was built from Greek "pétra", meaning rock, joined to the Latin "-ficāre", from "facere", "to make" or "to do". So the original idea is simply "to make into rock," and the word passed through Medieval Latin "petrificāre" and Middle French "pétrifier" before reaching English. Its frightened sense grew out of the same image. Someone so terrified they cannot move is imagined as turned to stone, the way mythical figures such as Medusa were said to freeze their victims. Both senses share the notion of becoming rigid and unable to change. The participle "petrified" carries both meanings today, so a fossil and a terrified hiker can be described with the same word.

Synonyms: terrified, frightened, scared, alarmed, horrified

Antonyms: calm, unafraid, brave, bold, fearless