fossil

American  

[fos-uhl] / ˈfɒs əl /

noun

• fossils
  plural

1. any remains, impression, or trace of a living thing of a former geologic age, as a skeleton, footprint, etc.

2. a markedly outdated or old-fashioned person or thing.

3. a linguistic form that is archaic except in certain restricted contexts, as nonce in for the nonce, or that follows a rule or pattern that is no longer productive, as the sentence So be it.

---

adjective

1. of the nature of a fossil.

   fossil insects.

2. belonging to a past epoch or discarded system; antiquated.

   a fossil approach to economics.

fossil British  

/ ˈfɒsəl /

noun

1. 1. a relic, remnant, or representation of an organism that existed in a past geological age, or of the activity of such an organism, occurring in the form of mineralized bones, shells, etc, as casts, impressions, and moulds, and as frozen perfectly preserved organisms

   2. ( as modifier )

      fossil insects

2. informal

   1. a person, idea, thing, etc, that is outdated or incapable of change

   2. ( as modifier )

      fossil politicians

3. linguistics a form once current but now appearing only in one or two special contexts, as for example stead , which is found now only in instead ( of ) and in phrases like in his stead

4. obsolete any rock or mineral dug out of the earth

---

fossil Scientific  

/ fŏs′əl /

1. The remains or imprint of an organism from a previous geologic time. A fossil can consist of the preserved tissues of an organism, as when encased in amber, ice, or pitch, or more commonly of the hardened relic of such tissues, as when organic matter is replaced by dissolved minerals. Hardened fossils are often found in layers of sedimentary rock and along the beds of rivers that flow through them.

2. See also index fossil microfossil trace fossil

---

fossil Cultural  

1. The evidence in rock of the presence of a plant or an animal from an earlier geological period. Fossils are formed when minerals in groundwater replace materials in bones and tissue, creating a replica in stone of the original organism or of their tracks. The study of fossils is the domain of paleontology. The oldest fossils (of bacteria) are 3.8 billion years old.

---

Discover More

The term is used figuratively to refer to a person with very old-fashioned or outmoded viewpoints: “That old fossil thinks that men should wear suits at the theater!”

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subfossil
  noun
• fossillike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• fossils
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fossil

First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin fossilis “dug up,” from foss(us) “dug” (past participle of fodere “to dig”) + -ilis -ile ( def. ); replacing earlier fossile, from French

Explanation

Fossils are the really, really old remains of a plant or animal — so old they've turned to stone. Fossil is also an insult for an old or old-fashioned person. Fossils are very important to scientists who study animals: they're one of the ways we learn about the beasts and critters of the past. A fossil is an imprint of the bones of that animal in rock or stone. If you see a reconstruction of a dinosaur in a museum, scientists used fossils to figure out how it should look. Also, calling someone a fossil is like calling them a geezer or old fogey. It's not a compliment.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fossil fossils

China’s stockpiles, combined with its quicker-than-expected shift away from fossil fuels, are making it the most powerful swing buyer in global energy markets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

All of the companies have agreed to invest in U.S. fossil fuel projects.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

"That strengthening parallels global warming, so it appears to be related to the warming of the planet caused by human production of fossil fuels," said Cole.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

The fossil record, however, has told a less complete story.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

He said there were so many untapped sources of energy in the world that it was ridiculous to be burning all that fossil fuel.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Geological reconstructions indicate that the sediments containing the fossils formed in near-shore, shallow-water delta coastal environments.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

The newly described fossils of C. praecursor were found in calcareous claystone concretions in the Tesnus Formation of the Marathon Uplift in western Texas.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

"Crinoid fossils number in the millions, and this is only the second time soft tissues have ever been found."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

Fieldwork does produce new fossils, but important discoveries can also emerge from specimens that have already spent years stored, cataloged and protected in museums.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

“Since when did you know about fossils and Latin names?”

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Related Words

• relic
• skeleton
• specimen
• trace