fossilization
Americannoun
-
fossilizations
plural
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Explanation
Fossilization is the process of an animal or plant becoming preserved in a hard, petrified form. Fossilization often results in the impression of an organism being left in a rock. When a leaf or an animal skeleton becomes a fossil, that's fossilization. Fossils are the preserved remains of a prehistoric creature — fossilization takes a very long time, so if you see a fossil, you know it's at least 10,000 years old. Originally, fossil was defined as "anything that's dug up," from the Latin fossilis, "dug up." By the 18th century, both fossil and fossilization specifically referred to "the geological remains of a plant or animal."
Vocabulary lists containing fossilization
Evolutionary BIology - Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity - Middle School
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Paleontology - High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Paleontology - Introductory
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The vessels had been preserved as iron-rich mineralized casts, which is a common fossilization process.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 26, 2026
To investigate what happened during burial and fossilization, Tarhan's team used an innovative chemical approach.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 27, 2026
A recent study led by Tarhan and her colleagues, published last month in the journal Geology under the title "Authigenic clays shaped Ediacara-style exceptional fossilization," offers new insight into that process.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 27, 2026
A team of researchers has developed an innovative method based on fossilization processes to seal cracks and fractures in rock using a "concretion-forming resin."
From Science Daily ● May 22, 2024
The great Appalachian and other coal fields are without doubt, the long continued and vigorous forest growths, and subsequent fossilization of the same in the marginal swamps of ancient gulfs or seas.
From The Harris-Ingram Experiment by Charles E. (Charles Edward) Bolton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
