fossil Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun someone whose style is out of fashion
    fogey; dodo; fogy.
  2. noun the remains (or an impression) of a plant or animal that existed in a past geological age and that has been excavated from the soil
  3. adjective characteristic of a fossil

WordNet

Fos"sil adjective
Etymology
L. fossilis, fr. fodere to dig: cf. F. fossile. See Fosse.
Definitions
  1. Dug out of the eart; as, fossil coal; fossil salt.
  2. (Paleon.) Like or pertaining to fossils; contained in rocks. whether petrified or not; as, fossil plants, shells. Raymond.
Fos"sil noun
Definitions
  1. A substance dug from the earth. Obs. ✍ Formerly all minerals were called fossils, but the word is now restricted to express the remains of animals and plants found buried in the earth. Ure.
  2. (Paleon.) The remains of an animal or plant found in stratified rocks. Most fossils belong to extinct species, but many of the later ones belong to species still living.
  3. A person whose views and opinions are extremely antiquated; one whose sympathies are with a former time rather than with the present. Colloq.

Webster 1913