fossils
|fos-sil|
🇺🇸
/ˈfɑsəl/
🇬🇧
/ˈfɒsɪl/
(fossil)
remains of the past
Etymology
'fossil' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'fossilis' (from 'fodere'), where 'fodere' meant 'to dig up'.
'fossil' changed from Latin 'fossilis' into Old French 'fossile' and then entered Middle English as 'fossil', eventually becoming the modern English word 'fossil'.
Initially, it meant 'something dug up', but over time it evolved into the current, narrower meaning of 'the preserved remains or traces of ancient organisms' (and later gained the figurative sense 'outdated thing/person').
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past, typically found in rock.
The museum displays dinosaur fossils from the Cretaceous period.
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Noun 2
things or people that are so old-fashioned or out of date that they seem to belong to an earlier period.
Many of his ideas about education are fossils in today’s schools.
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Last updated: 2025/09/18 18:41