Spanish Conversation · Level 137
44 words
Spanish word
petrificar
Pronunciation
IPA/petɾifiˈkaɾ/
Meaning
- verbpetrify
Example
El sonido me petrificó y no me moví.
The sound petrified me and I could not move.
More examples
El silencio petrificó a los presentes.
The silence petrified those present.
Core concept
A face turned stiff with shock.
Common phrases
petrificar con el silencio
petrify with silence
Similar words
paralizar: Stops physical movement or action, leaving a person unable to move.
espantar: Frightens strongly, producing sudden fear or alarm.
aturdir: Dulls consciousness or the senses, leaving a person dazed or stunned.
inmovilizar: Fixes a person or object in place so it cannot move.
Definition in Spanish
Provocar que una persona o cosa quede inmóvil y rígida, tanto en sentido literal (convertir en piedra) como en sentido figurado (paralizar por miedo, asombro o sorpresa).
Word origin
From Late Latin petrificare, literally 'to make stone', formed from petra 'stone' and the verb-forming -ficare (from facere 'make').
Usage tips
- Petrificar often sounds formal or literary in conversation, and speakers typically prefer quedarse paralizado or quedar inmóvil to describe being stunned.
Other meanings
- turn to stoneverb
Opposites
- calmarcalmverb
Related words
- petrificantepetrifyingadjective
- petrificadopetrifiedadjective