Webster's English Dictionary

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fossil

1. fos.sil \'fa:s-*l\ n [L fossilis dug up, fr. fossus, pp. of fodere to 
   dig - more] at BED 1: any remains, impression, or trace of an animal or 
   plant of past geologic al ages that has been preserved in the earth's crust 
   2a: a person whose views are outmoded : FOGY  2b: something that has become 
   rigidly fixed  3: an old word or word element preserved only by idiom (as 
   fro in  to and fro)
2. fossil aj 1: extracted from the earth {~ fuels such as coal}  2: being 
   or resembling a fossil