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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

fossil

/ˈfɑsl̩/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does fossil mean?

noun

  1. The mineralized remains of an animal or plant.
  2. Any preserved evidence of ancient life, including shells, imprints, burrows, coprolites, and organically-produced chemicals.
  3. A fossil word.
More meanings (4)

noun

  1. (figuratively) Anything extremely old, extinct, or outdated.
  2. A piece of content, which, despite its age, is being repromoted to a large volume of users by the algorithm.
  3. (derogatory, figuratively) An extremely old or outdated person.

proper noun

  1. A small city, the county seat of Wheeler County, Oregon, United States.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈfɑsl̩/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

So came into being "the horrible and destructive monsters, these caricatures and distortions of creation," of which we have fossil remains.
Andrew Dickson WhiteHistory of the Warfare of Science with Theology in ChristendomProject Gutenberg ebook #505
It was at the Oeningen quarries, in the eighteenth century, that a wonderful vertebrate fossil, some four feet long, was discovered.
VariousThe Scientific Monthly, October to December, 1915Project Gutenberg ebook #987
More book examples (3)
These are of that Spatangoid form, which you will often find fossil in the chalk, and which shepherd boys call snakes’ heads.
Charles KingsleyGlaucus; Or, The Wonders of the ShoreProject Gutenberg ebook #695
Among this fossil wood Heer made out the cypress, the silver pine, the poplar, the birch, and some dicotyledons with caducous leaves.
Jean-François-Albert du Pouget, marquis de NadaillacManners and Monuments of Prehistoric PeoplesTranslated by N. D'AnversProject Gutenberg ebook #3309
A last and more plausible objection is that raised by Darwin when he said that there were no fossil remains of instincts.
Jean-Henri FabreBramble-Bees and OthersTranslated by Alexander Teixeira de MattosProject Gutenberg ebook #3421