[fos-uh-lahyz] 
verb, -ized, -iz⋅ing.| 1. | Geology. to convert into a fossil; replace organic with mineral substances in the remains of an organism. |
| 2. | to change as if into mere lifeless remains or traces of the past. |
| 3. | to make rigidly antiquated: Time has fossilized such methods. |
| 4. | to become a fossil or fossillike: The plant fossilized in comparatively recent geologic time. |
| 5. | 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. |
| fossil (fŏs'əl) Pronunciation Key
The remains or imprint of an organism from a previous geologic time. A fossil can consist of the preserved tissues of an organism, as when encased in amber, ice, or pitch, or more commonly of the hardened relic of such tissues, as when organic matter is replaced by dissolved minerals. Hardened fossils are often found in layers of sedimentary rock and along the beds of rivers that flow through them. See also index fossil, microfossil, trace fossil. fossilize verb |
əˌlaɪz