state of petrification
- noun
- /steɪt əv ˌpɛtrɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
:
estado de petrificación
- When the intruder appeared, he froze in a state of petrification unable to call for help.
Examples
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The team was so stunned by their loss that they sat in a state of petrification for several minutes.
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The earthquake struck so suddenly that many people were left in a state of petrification.
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She was in a state of petrification after hearing the news.
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After the accident, he fell into a state of petrification.
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The earthquake struck so suddenly that many people were left in a state of petrification.
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The team was so stunned by their loss that they sat in a state of petrification for several minutes.
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When the intruder appeared, he froze in a state of petrification, unable to call for help.
Synonyms
17
3.9
A very stunned and numb feeling after a sudden bad event
Being unable to move because of shock, fear, or not knowing what to do
Antonyms
How Shocked
Surface Forms
Morphology
state + of + petrification
The phrase literally combines the transparent noun phrase pattern 'state of' with 'petrification' (from 'petrify' = to turn to stone / to be immobilized by fear), so its meaning 'a condition of being petrified/immobilised by fear' follows directly from the constituents. The metaphor of 'turning to stone' for being unable to move from shock or fear is common cross-linguistically, making this compositional and inferable to a learner who knows the component words.
Etymology
State of petrification comes from the vivid picture of someone turning into stone, because petrification means being changed into hard rock. So it now describes 'being so shocked or frightened that you cannot move'.