Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [fos-uh l]
- /ˈfɒs əl/
- /ˈfɒs.əl/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [fos-uh l]
- /ˈfɒs əl/
Definitions of fossil word
- noun fossil any remains, impression, or trace of a living thing of a former geologic age, as a skeleton, footprint, etc. 1
- noun fossil a markedly outdated or old-fashioned person or thing. 1
- noun fossil 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. 1
- adjective fossil of the nature of a fossil: fossil insects. 1
- adjective fossil belonging to a past epoch or discarded system; antiquated: a fossil approach to economics. 1
- noun fossil The remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of fossil
First appearance:
before 1555 One of the 31% oldest English words
1555-65; < Latin fossilis dug up (Cf. fodere to dig); replacing earlier fossile < French
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Fossil
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
fossil popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 98% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
fossil usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for fossil
noun fossil
- specimen — a part or an individual taken as exemplifying a whole mass or number; a typical animal, plant, mineral, part, etc.
- relic — a surviving memorial of something past.
- skeleton — Anatomy, Zoology. the bones of a human or an animal considered as a whole, together forming the framework of the body.
- trace — either of the two straps, ropes, or chains by which a carriage, wagon, or the like is drawn by a harnessed horse or other draft animal.
- impression — a strong effect produced on the intellect, feelings, conscience, etc.
adjective fossil
- out of fashion — no longer popular
- worse for wear — (Idiomatic) in poor physical condition due to long or heavy use.
- back number — A back number of a magazine or newspaper is the same as a back issue.
- dinosaur — any chiefly terrestrial, herbivorous or carnivorous reptile of the extinct orders Saurischia and Ornithischia, from the Mesozoic Era, certain species of which are the largest known land animals.
Top questions with fossil
- what is a fossil?
- what are fossil fuels?
- what is fossil fuel?
- what is an index fossil?
- what is a fossil fuel?
- how are fossil fuels formed?
- what does fossil mean?
- what is a major disadvantage of using fossil fuels?
- how old is the earliest bacteria fossil?
- what does the fossil record show?
- how are fossil fuels used to generate electrical energy?
- which fossil fuel is the most abundant?
- what is the fossil record?
- what is the most abundant fossil fuel?
- what does the word fossil mean?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with f
- Words starting with fo
- Words starting with fos
- Words starting with foss
- Words starting with fossi
- Words starting with fossil