Origin. Late Middle English: from French petrifier, pétrifier from Medieval latin, petrificare From latin 'petra', rock From. Greek. More the original sense of petrify ‘was to convert into’, stone from The latin And greek root ‘petra’. rockrigin. Late Middle English: from French petrifier, pétrifier from Medieval latin, petrificare From latin 'petra', rock From. Greek. More the original sense of petrify ‘was to convert into’, stone from The latin And greek root ‘petra’. rock