ETYM Latin fossilis, from fodere to dig: cf. French fossile. Related to Fosse.
1. Like or pertaining to fossils; contained in rocks. whether petrified or not.
2. Derived from fossilized or petrified life forms.

A relic or impression of a plant or animal that existed in a past geological age; SYN. archeological remains.
Remains of an animal or plant preserved in rocks. Fossils may be formed by refrigeration (for example, Arctic mammoths in ice); carbonization (leaves in coal); formation of a cast (dinosaur or human footprints in mud); or mineralization of bones, teeth or shells. The study of fossils is called paleontology.
About 250,000 fossil species have been discovered—a figure that is believed to represent less than 1 in 20,000 of the species that ever lived. Microfossils are so small they can only be seen with a microscope. They include the fossils of pollen, bone fragments, and bacteria. + prikaži više