microfossil

[ mahy-kroh-fos-il ]

/ ˌmaɪ kroʊˈfɒs ɪl /

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noun

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

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Compare macrofossil.

Origin of microfossil

First recorded in 1920–25; micro- + fossil

Words nearby microfossil

microfilm plotter, microfilter, microflora, microfluidics, microform, microfossil, microgamete, microgametophyte, microgeneration, microglia, microgram

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

How to use microfossil in a sentence

Finally, microfossils and pollens changed within the same core section, from species that prefer drier climates to ones that tend to grow in warm and humid climates.
A volcano-induced rainy period made Earth’s climate dinosaur-friendly|Megan Sever|September 30, 2021|Science News

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.