verb
Meaning 1
To make into a fossil.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
fossilize
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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UK: /ˈfɒs.ɪl.aɪz/
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UK: /ˈfɒsl̩aɪz/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: F AA1 S AH0 L AY2 Z Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
verb
Meaning 2
To become a fossil.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To become inflexible or outmoded.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, figuratively, intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
To make antiquated, rigid, or fixed; to deaden.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, figuratively, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
become mentally inflexible
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: fossilise
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: senesce, age, get on, mature, maturate
verb
Meaning 6
convert to a fossil
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The little animals fossilized and are now embedded in the limestone
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: fossilise
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: convert
Narrower terms: lapidify, petrify
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English fossil Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize English fossilize From fossil + -ize.
Across languages
Translations
25 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Finnish: fossilisoida — to make into fossil
- French: fossiliser — to make into fossil
- German: fossilisieren — to make into fossil
- Hebrew: אִבֵּן (ibén) — to make into fossil
- Italian: fossilizzare — to make into fossil
- Japanese: 化石させる (kaseki saseru) — to make into fossil
- Māori: whakamātātoka — to make into fossil
- Occitan: fossilizar — to make into fossil
- Romanian: fosiliza — to make into fossil
- Spanish: fosilizar — to make into fossil
- Swedish: fossilisera — to make into fossil
- Turkish: fosilleştirmek — to make into fossil
- Finnish: fossilisoitua — to become a fossil
- German: fossilisieren — to become a fossil
- Hebrew: הִתְאַבֵּן (hit'abén) — to become a fossil
- Hungarian: megkövesedik — to become a fossil
- Italian: fossilizzare — to become a fossil
- Japanese: 化石する (kaseki suru) — to become a fossil
- Māori: whakamātātoka — to become a fossil
- Occitan: se fossilizar — to become a fossil
- Polish: kostnieć — to become a fossil
- Polish: skostnieć — to become a fossil
- Romanian: se fosiliza — to become a fossil
- Spanish: fosilizar — to become a fossil
- Turkish: fosilleşmek — to become a fossil