1. the remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock: "sites rich in fossils"
▪ a person or thing that is outdated or resistant to change: "he can be a cantankerous old fossil at times"
▪ a word or phrase that has become obsolete except in set phrases or forms, e.g. hue in hue and cry.
Word Originmid 16th century (denoting a fossilized fish found, and believed to have lived, underground): from French fossile, from Latin fossilis ‘dug up’, from fodere ‘dig’.
