fossilize

[ fos-uh-lahyz ]

/ ˈfɒs əˌlaɪz /

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See synonyms for: fossilize / fossilized / fossilization on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), fos·sil·ized, fos·sil·iz·ing.

Geology. to convert into a fossil; replace organic with mineral substances in the remains of an organism.

to change as if into mere lifeless remains or traces of the past.

to make rigidly antiquated: Time has fossilized such methods.

verb (used without object), fos·sil·ized, fos·sil·iz·ing.

to become a fossil or like a fossil: The plant fossilized in comparatively recent geologic time.

Linguistics. (of a linguistic form, feature, rule, etc.) to become permanently established in the interlanguage of a second-language learner in a form that is deviant from the target-language norm and that continues to appear in performance regardless of further exposure to the target language.

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Also especially British, fos·sil·ise .

Origin of fossilize

First recorded in 1785–95; fossil + -ize

OTHER WORDS FROM fossilize

fos·sil·iz·a·ble, adjectivefos·sil·i·za·tion, nounsem·i·fos·sil·ized, adjectiveun·fos·sil·ized, adjective

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

How to use fossilize in a sentence

Although shark skeletons are made of cartilage, the animals’ backbones can become hardened and strengthened by deposits of calcium salts, which can then be fossilized.
Newborn megalodon sharks were larger than most adult humans|Carolyn Gramling|January 12, 2021|Science News
But many, and probably most, rules persist as fossilized remains of now-forgotten controversies.
'Transparency' is Overrated|David Frum|July 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Imagine a world in which every action is governed by fossilized customs.
The Mother of Title IX: Trailblazing Athlete Eleonora Sears|Peggy Miller Franck|June 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Bentley explains that revolutionizing fossilized mentalities can be oddly likened to, in his words, boiling a bunny.
Does Kanye Dress Too Gay?|Elizabeth Gates|May 6, 2009|DAILY BEAST

Among the debris were several pieces of sandstone marked by black, fossilized plant-remains.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
Towards the end of the following summer, however, one of the tusks and an entire side of a fossilized animal were exposed.
The Desert World|Arthur Mangin
Petrified moss or Indian arrow-heads, for specimens of lava or fossilized fern.
Harper's Young People, June 21, 1881|Various
Mineralized water circulated through and gradually fossilized the buried trees, changing many to opal.
Your National Parks|Enos A. Mills
If a monologue is fossilized poetry, its true rendering should restore the original being to life.
Browning and the Dramatic Monologue|S. S. Curry

British Dictionary definitions for fossilize

fossilize

fossilise

/ (ˈfɒsɪˌlaɪz) /

verb

to convert or be converted into a fossil

to become or cause to become antiquated or inflexible

Derived forms of fossilize

fossilizable or fossilisable, adjectivefossilization or fossilisation, noun

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

fossilize

Origin of fossilize

OTHER WORDS FROM fossilize

Words related to fossilize

How to use fossilize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fossilize

fossilise

Derived forms of fossilize