coprolite

American  

[kop-ruh-lahyt] / ˈkɒp rəˌlaɪt /

noun

1. a stony mass consisting of fossilized fecal matter of animals.

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coprolite British  

/ ˈkɒprəˌlaɪt, ˌkɒprəˈlɪtɪk /

noun

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

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coprolite Scientific  

/ kŏp′rə-līt′ /

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

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Other Word Forms

• coprolitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of coprolite

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

Example Sentences

Mr Frandsen's foray into coprolite hunting arose after he first saw one as a teenager in a rock and fossil shop in Utah, having already been fascinated by fossils as a child.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2024

They selected a coprolite fragment nearly 2 centimeters long that, based on its broken ends, suggested it was part of a much larger piece that might be more likely to contain things inside it.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 30, 2021

“It’s already tiny. It’s already living in masses—otherwise there’s no way the coprolite could be full of it,” he says.

From Scientific American • Jun. 30, 2021

The scientists even spotted at least one clump of what appears to be a coprolite, or fossilized feces.

From New York Times • Jan. 31, 2018

The so-called “beetle-stones” of the coal-formation of Newhaven, near Leith, which have mostly a coprolite nucleus, have been applied to various ornamental purposes by lapidaries.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 3 "Convention" to "Copyright" by Various