embalm

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to preserve a dead body by treating it with chemicals, oils, or spices

   The family chose not to embalm the body before burial.

2. 2
   verb

   literary: to preserve a person, event, or feeling in memory or art

   The poem helped embalm the vanished town in collective memory.

From Middle English enbaumen, through Old French embaumer, formed from en- (in or with) + baume (balm). The earliest practice involved treating a body with aromatic balsams and preservatives.

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