The collective record of biological development that is reflected in the fossilized remains of organisms through geological history. / The record of preserved evidence for a single species or taxon.

plural of fossil record

Any ancient remains of a plant or animal that lived during a specific geological period and that can be used to date the containing rocks.

plural of fossil fuel

Any fuel derived from hydrocarbon deposits such as coal, petroleum, natural gas and, to some extent, peat; these fuels are non-renewable, and their burning generates the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

(paleontology) A type of fossil reflecting the reworking of sediments and hard substrates by organisms, rather than the physical remains of the organism itself. This includes structures such as burrows, trails, impressions, coprolites and borings.

(evolutionary theory) Any species discovered first as a fossil and believed extinct, but which is later found living; an organism that has remained unchanged over geological periods.

(linguistics) A word that is broadly obsolete but remains in current use because it is contained within an idiom that is still in use.

plural of fossil word

A fossil formed when sediment fills the inside or covers the outside of a dead organism and the organism's remains do not persist, leaving just the shape and texture of the rock to indicate the organic material that was there.