fossillike
əl noun
1.
any remains, impression, or trace of a living thing of a former geologic age, as a skeleton, footprint, etc.
2.
a markedly outdated or old-fashioned person or thing.
3.
a linguistic form that is archaic except in certain restricted contexts, as nonce in for the nonce, or that follows a rule or pattern that is no longer productive, as the sentence So be it.
adjective
4.
of the nature of a fossil: fossil insects.
5.
belonging to a past epoch or discarded system; antiquated: a fossil approach to economics.
00:10
Fossillike
is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Origin:
1555–65; < Latin fossilis dug up (Cf. fodere to dig); replacing earlier fossile < French
1555–65; < Latin fossilis dug up (Cf. fodere to dig); replacing earlier fossile < French
Related forms
fos·sil·like, adjective
sub·fos·sil, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To fossillike
Collins
World English Dictionary
fossil (ˈfɒsəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a. a relic, remnant, or representation of an organism that existed in a past geological age, or of the activity of such an organism, occurring in the form of mineralized bones, shells, etc, as casts, impressions, and moulds, and as frozen perfectly preserved organisms |
| b. (as modifier): fossil insects | |
| 2. | informal, derogatory |
| a. a person, idea, thing, etc, that is outdated or incapable of change | |
| b. (as modifier): fossil politicians | |
| 3. | linguistics a form once current but now appearing only in one or two special contexts, as for example stead, which is found now only in instead (of) and in phrases like in his stead |
| 4. | obsolete any rock or mineral dug out of the earth |
| [C17: from Latin fossilis dug up, from fodere to dig] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
fossil
1610s, "obtained by digging" (adj.), from Fr. fossile, from L. fossilis "dug up," from fossus, pp. of fodere "to dig," from PIE base *bhedh- "to dig, pierce." Noun sense of "geological remains of a plant or animal" is from 1736; slang meaning "old person" first recorded 1859. Fossil fuel (1835) preserves
the earlier, broader sense. Related: Fossilized; fossilizing.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
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 |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
fossil definition
The evidence in rock of the presence of a plant or an animal from an earlier geological period. Fossils are formed when minerals in groundwater replace materials in bones and tissue, creating a replica in stone of the original organism or of their tracks. The study of fossils is the domain of paleontology. The oldest fossils (of bacteria) are 3.8 billion years old.
Note: The term is used figuratively to refer to a person with very old-fashioned or outmoded viewpoints: “That old fossil thinks that men should wear suits at the theater!”
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
fossil definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Nearby Words
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