coprolite

[ kop-ruh-lahyt ]

/ ˈkɒp rəˌlaɪt /

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noun

a stony mass consisting of fossilized fecal matter of animals.

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Origin of coprolite

First recorded in 1820–30; copro- + -lite

OTHER WORDS FROM coprolite

cop·ro·lit·ic

[kop-ruh-lit-ik], /ˌkɒp rəˈlɪt ɪk/, adjective

Words nearby coprolite

coprocessor, coproduce, coproduct, coprolagnia, coprolalia, coprolite, coprology, coprophagous, coprophilia, coprophilous, coprophobia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use coprolite in a sentence

Feces, especially from carnivores, can readily form into coprolites.
New beetle species found in fossil poop of this dino relative|Nikk Ogasa|August 12, 2021|Science News For Students
For example, coprolites have been used to show that some plant-eating dinosaurs also dined on crustaceans.
New beetle species found in fossil poop of this dino relative|Nikk Ogasa|August 12, 2021|Science News For Students
Despite this preservation power, coprolites can be overshadowed by amber, a translucent tree resin, when it comes to fossils.
Fossilized dung from a dinosaur ancestor yields a new beetle species|Nikk Ogasa|June 30, 2021|Science News
Among those fossils were coprolites — fossil poop — filled with partially digested bone shards.
The secret to T. rex‘s incredible biting force is at last revealed|Sid Perkins|June 1, 2021|Science News For Students

An earlier study, published in 2014, sifted through the tiny coprolites to look for traces of Neanderthal diets.
Oldest DNA from poop contains a Neanderthal’s microbiome|Kiona N. Smith|February 8, 2021|Ars Technica
In many places they have been worked, under the name of “coprolite-beds,” as sources of artificial manures.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 7|Various
An ichthyo-coprolite from Tenby was found to contain 15.4% of phosphoric anhydride.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for coprolite

coprolite

/ (ˈkɒprəˌlaɪt) /

noun

any of various rounded stony nodules thought to be the fossilized faeces of Palaeozic-Cenozoic vertebrates

Derived forms of coprolite

coprolitic (ˌkɒprəˈlɪtɪk), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for coprolite

coprolite

[ kŏp′rə-līt′ ]

Fossilized excrement. Analysis of the fossilized animal and plant remains within coprolites provides important information about the diet and environment of ancient biota.