[fos.sil] adj [L fossilis obtained by digging, fr. fodere to dig--more at bed] (1665) 1: preserved from a past geologic age "~ plants" "~ water in an underground reservoir"
2: being or resembling a fossil
3: of or relating to fossil fuel
[2]fossil n (1736) 1: a remnant, impression, or trace of an organism of past geologic ages that has been preserved in the earth's crust--compare living fossil
2. a: one whose views are outmoded: fogy b: something (as a theory) that has become rigidly fixed
3: an old word or word element preserved only by idiom (as fro in to and fro)