fossiliferous

[ fos-uh-lif-er-uh s ]

/ ˌfɒs əˈlɪf ər əs /

adjective

bearing or containing fossils, as rocks or strata.

Nearby words

fossil energy, fossil fuel, fossil fuels, fossil gum, fossil record, fossiliferous, fossilize, fossor, fossorial, fossula, foster

Origin of fossiliferous

First recorded in 1840–50; fossil + -i- + -ferous

Related forms

non·fos·sil·if·er·ous, adjectiveun·fos·sil·if·er·ous, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fossiliferous

The fossiliferous beds occur a few hundred yards below the dwelling-house of Rose Farm.
The Cruise of the Betsey|Hugh Miller
This fossil-bearing set of strata he first styled the “fossiliferous greywacke series,” changing it in 1835 to “Silurian system.”
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 1|Various
They traverse all kinds of rocks, both hypogene and fossiliferous, and extend downwards to indefinite or unknown depths.
A Manual of Elementary Geology|Charles Lyell.
To the south of the Downs there is a narrow valley formed by the Gault, a fossiliferous blue clay.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 7|Various

To the geologist the fossiliferous limestones and the metamorphic rocks are alike of interest.
The Sunny Side of Ireland|John O'Mahony and R. Lloyd Praeger

British Dictionary definitions for fossiliferous

fossiliferous

/ (ˌfɒsɪˈlɪfərəs) /

adjective

(of sedimentary rocks) containing fossils

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