fossil
gb/fˈɑsəl/ us/fˈɑsəl/
B1
Inglês
~ 9700
Acepções
0 acepção
Substantivo
B1
entity
1
preserved remains of ancient life
The hard remains or mark of a very old plant or animal, kept in rock for a long time.
Padrão de uso:
a fossil of [an animal/plant] in [rock/place]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes think a fossil must be a bone, but in science it can also be a footprint, leaf, or any trace of ancient life preserved in rock.
Sinônimos
remains (General word for what is left of something; not limited to ancient life or rock.)
|
petrifaction (More technical and less common; often refers specifically to turning organic material to stone.)
Antônimos
living organism (Contrasts a dead, preserved specimen with something that is currently alive.)
|
recent remains (Emphasizes that fossils are extremely old, not from the recent past.)
Colocações
dinosaur fossil
|plant fossil
|fossil remains
|fossil record
|fossil bones
|fossil evidence
Temas
science
|nature
|history
Exemplos
- The museum has a huge fossil of a Tyrannosaurus rex in its main hall.
- Scientists used tiny fish fossils to learn about the climate millions of years ago.
- We found a fossil leaf perfectly preserved in the slab of shale.
- The fossil was embedded in the rock, so they had to remove it very carefully.
- These footprints are actually fossils made by early reptiles.
Exemplos para estudantes
- My son loves to look at dinosaur fossils.
- They found a fossil of a big fish in the mountain.
- This rock has a small shell fossil inside it.
- We saw many plant fossils in the science museum.
Substantivo
informal
B2
entity
2
very old-fashioned person
A joking or rude word for a person who is very old or does not want to change old ideas.
Padrão de uso:
call [someone] an old fossil
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes use this word for any old person. In English it usually also suggests the person has old-fashioned ideas or refuses change, and it can sound rude or disrespectful.
Sinônimos
dinosaur (Similar informal meaning for an out-of-date person; can sound slightly softer or more playful.)
|
old-timer (Less rude; focuses more on age or experience than on resistance to change.)
Antônimos
modern thinker (Highlights someone open to new ideas, unlike a 'fossil'.)
|
open-minded person (Emphasizes willingness to accept change and new ideas.)
Colocações
old fossil
|boring fossil
|stubborn fossil
|act like a fossil
|stuck-up fossil
Temas
people
|attitudes
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- He’s such an old fossil, still refusing to use email.
- Don’t be a fossil—try something new for once.
- They called the former boss a fossil because he blocked every modern idea.
- I feel like a fossil when my kids talk about new apps.
- In that company, only fossils still believe people should never work from home.
Exemplos para estudantes
- My grandpa jokes that he is a fossil because he hates smartphones.
- Stop acting like a fossil and listen to new ideas.
- Some students think the old teacher is a fossil.
adjective
technical
B2
property
3
relating to fossils or fossil fuels
About fossils, or about fuels like coal, oil, and gas that come from very old plants and animals.
Padrão de uso:
fossil [fuel/remains/record/species]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes say *"fuel fossils"* instead of "fossil fuels". Also, some think "fossil" as an adjective only means "very old", but in science it specifically relates to fossils or fossil-based fuels.
Sinônimos
paleontological (More formal and technical; used mostly in academic or scientific writing.)
|
carbon-based (fuel) (Focuses more on chemical makeup than on origin in ancient life.)
Antônimos
renewable (Opposes 'fossil' when talking about energy sources that can be replenished quickly.)
|
living (Contrasts fossil organisms or remains with organisms that are still alive.)
Colocações
fossil fuel
|fossil fuels
|fossil record
|fossil remains
|fossil species
|fossil evidence
Temas
science
|environment
|energy
|nature
Exemplos
- Many governments are trying to reduce their use of fossil fuels.
- The fossil record shows several mass extinction events.
- Fossil remains of early humans were discovered in the cave.
- Burning fossil fuels releases large amounts of carbon dioxide.
- She specializes in fossil plants from the Jurassic period.
Exemplos para estudantes
- Coal and oil are fossil fuels.
- We must use less fossil fuel to protect the planet.
- Scientists study the fossil record to learn about the past.
Substantivo
technical
C1
entity
4
linguistic form preserved from earlier stage
A word or part of grammar that still exists in a few fixed phrases, but is not used normally in the language anymore.
Padrão de uso:
a fossil in [the language/a phrase]
Erro comum:
Learners may confuse this technical meaning with the everyday meaning related to ancient bones; in linguistics, a 'fossil' is an old language form, not something in rock.
Sinônimos
archaism (A more general term for an old word or style; does not always imply it only survives in fixed expressions.)
Antônimos
neologism (A newly created word, contrasting with an old, leftover form.)
|
productive form (A pattern that speakers can still use freely to create new examples.)
Colocações
linguistic fossil
|grammatical fossil
|a fossil form
|a fossil phrase
Temas
language
|education
|communication
Exemplos
- In the phrase "kith and kin", the word "kith" is a fossil no longer used elsewhere.
- Some irregular plural forms in English can be seen as linguistic fossils.
- The teacher explained that "aught" in old expressions is a fossil from an earlier number system.
- This construction is a grammatical fossil that survives only in a few legal phrases.
- Linguists study fossils in language to understand how it has changed over time.
Exemplos para estudantes
- The word "kith" is a fossil in English.
- Some very old words live on as fossils in set phrases.
- Linguists call this strange old form a fossil.
adjective
informal
C1
property
5
extremely old-fashioned or outdated
Very old-fashioned and not open to new ideas or ways of doing things.
Padrão de uso:
fossil [attitudes/ideas/mindset]
Erro comum:
Learners may overuse this adjective because they know the noun meaning; note that describing ideas as "fossil" is much less common than calling a person a "fossil" or talking about "fossil fuels".
Sinônimos
old-fashioned (More common and neutral; 'fossil' sounds stronger and more negative.)
|
outdated (Focuses on not being modern; 'fossil' adds a sense of stubbornness.)
Antônimos
progressive (Suggests forward-looking ideas, opposite of fossil attitudes.)
|
modern (Emphasizes being up to date rather than stuck in the past.)
Colocações
fossil attitudes
|fossil ideas
|fossil mindset
|fossil views
Temas
attitudes
|society
|core_vocabulary
|relationships
Exemplos
- The company’s fossil attitudes toward women are finally starting to change.
- Some politicians still defend fossil social ideas from the 1950s.
- Universities need to move away from fossil teaching methods that ignore technology.
- His fossil mindset makes it hard for him to work in a fast-changing industry.
- They challenged the fossil views that had guided the organization for decades.
Exemplos para estudantes
- The school has some fossil rules about clothes.
- Her parents have fossil ideas about dating.
- These fossil views do not fit modern life.
Gramática
Forma no dicionário
fossil
AFI
GB/fˈɑsəl/
US/fˈɑsəl/
Sílabas e tonicidade
fossil (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (fossil)
Formas da palavra
Adjective
- Base: fossil
Noun
- Base: fossil
- Plural: fossils
Família de palavras
Forms
fossils
noun
Core family
fossilize
verb
Related words
fossilization
noun
Expressões
fossil fuel
1/fˈɑsəl fjˈul/
fixed phrase
coal, oil, or natural gas
Fuel such as coal, oil, or gas that comes from very old plants and animals deep in the ground.
Exemplos
- Burning fossil fuel is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.
- The country plans to phase out fossil fuel power stations by 2040.
fossil fuels
1/fˈɑsəl fjˈuəlz/
fixed phrase
group of non-renewable fuels
Coal, oil, and gas together, when we talk about them as non-renewable energy sources.
Exemplos
- Many scientists say we must quickly cut our use of fossil fuels.
- Renewable energy is becoming cheaper than fossil fuels in many countries.
living fossil
1/lˈɪvɪŋ fˈɑsəl/
fixed phrase
unchanged species from ancient times
An animal or plant that is alive today but looks almost the same as its very old fossil relatives.
Exemplos
- The coelacanth is often called a living fossil.
- Some scientists dislike the term "living fossil" because all species continue to evolve.
old fossil
1/ˈoʊld fˈɑsəl/
fixed phrase
informal
very old and stuck-in-the-past person
A joking or rude way to talk about someone who is very old and does not like new things.
Exemplos
- He’s just an old fossil who refuses to learn anything new.
- My kids call me an old fossil when I complain about social media.
the fossil record
1/ðə fˈɑsəl ɹˈɛkɚd/
fixed phrase
technical
all fossils showing life’s history
All the fossils that have been found, seen together as information about how life changed over time.
Exemplos
- The fossil record provides strong evidence for evolution.
- Gaps in the fossil record make some periods of Earth’s history hard to study.