Hypertext Webster Gateway: "petrifaction"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Petrifaction \Pet`ri*fac"tion\, n. [See {Petrify}.]
1. The process of petrifying, or changing into stone;
conversion of any organic matter (animal or vegetable)
into stone, or a substance of stony hardness.
2. The state or condition of being petrified.
3. That which is petrified; popularly, a body incrusted with
stony matter; an incrustation.
4. Fig.: Hardness; callousness; obduracy. ``Petrifaction of
the soul.'' --Cudworth.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
petrifaction
n 1: the process of turning some plant material into stone by
infiltration with water carrying mineral particles
without changing the original shape [syn: {petrification}]
2: a rock created by petrifaction; an organic object
infiltrated with mineral matter and preserved in its
original form
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