Refers to a preserved dead body, especially from ancient Egypt, or metaphorically to something dried up.
from Portuguese mirra
The body found in the desert had become a mummy.
I saw an Egyptian mummy at the museum.
It dried up and became like a mummy.
The archaeologists excavated an ancient mummy.
Standard katakana spelling for this loanword; usually written in kana.
Ateji spelling; rarely used in modern Japanese.
From Portuguese 'mirra', ultimately from Arabic 'mūmiyā'.