Mummification is the process of treating a dead body so it does not rot: drying it, putting special oils on it, and wrapping it in cloth. Ancient Egypt is the famous case, though other cultures had their own versions. This word is a noun — the act, or the result, of mummifying someone. In schools and museums it sounds serious, almost scientific. People also stretch it, a little loosely, for anything kept so carefully that it feels frozen in time.