fossil
n. countablen. the hard remains or shape of a plant or animal that lived a very long time ago. These are usually found inside rocks.
n. the preserved remains or impression of a prehistoric organism embedded in rock and petrified. Often used figuratively to describe an extremely old-fashioned person or an outdated system.
The museum has a large fossil of a dinosaur.
The geologist discovered a rare fish fossil while exploring the limestone cliffs near the coast.
By studying the fossil record, scientists can reconstruct the evolutionary history of species that have been extinct for millions of years.
From French fossile, from Latin fossilis (“something which has been dug up”), from fodio (“to dig up”).
Commonly used in the phrase 'fossil record' to describe the total number of fossils discovered.