fossilise

UK/ˈfɒs.ɪl.aɪz/

verbB2Very rare — outside the 30,000 commonest English words, so you will meet it in writing rather than in speechToo rare in one of the two pools to compare — fewer than 20 uses in speech or in writing

Other forms: fossilised

To fossilise is to be turned to stone and preserved over ages. Fossilise in mud.

It needs quick burial, since anything left on the surface is eaten or weathered away. Soft tissue can fossilise in the right conditions, which is how feathers were found on dinosaurs.

Definitions of fossilise

1verbfossiliseTo be turned to stone and preserved over ages.B2
“Almost nothing fossilises, which is why the record is so patchy.”

fossilise is a process.

Also accepted in games: fossilize

Where it comes from

fossilize comes from fossil + -ize.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Dinosaurs & Prehistory

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