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| fos·sil [ fóss'l ] (plural fos·sils) |
noun |
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| Definition: |
| |
1. preserved remains of animal or plant: the remains of an animal or plant preserved from an earlier era inside a rock or other geologic deposit, often as an impression or in a petrified state
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2. somebody who will not change: somebody regarded as old-fashioned and unwilling to change
(
informal insult
)
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3. something outdated: something that has outlived its usefulness, e.g. a discredited theory
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4. linguistics old word now used specifically: a word or part of a word that was once used generally but now survives only in a few contexts, e.g. couth in uncouth
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| [Mid-16th century. Via French fossile< Latin fossilis "dug up" < fodere "dig"] |
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