microfossil

[ mahy-kroh-fos-il ]
/ ˌmaɪ kroʊˈfɒs ɪl /

noun

a fossil so small that it can be studied and identified only with a microscope.

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decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Compare macrofossil.

Origin of microfossil

First recorded in 1920–25; micro- + fossil

Words nearby microfossil

microfilm, microfilm plotter, microfilter, microflora, microform, microfossil, microgamete, microgametocyte, microgametophyte, microgastria, microgeneration
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for microfossil

microfossil
/ (ˈmaɪkrəʊˌfɒsəl) /

noun

a fossil generally less than 0.5 millimetre in size, such as a protozoan, bacterium, or pollen grain
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

Scientific definitions for microfossil

microfossil
[ mī′krō-fŏs′əl ]

A microscopic fossil, as of a pollen grain or unicellular organism.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.