fossil fuel

fossil fuel

noun

Definition of FOSSIL FUEL

: a fuel (as coal, oil, or natural gas) formed in the earth from plant or animal remains

— fos·sil–fueled \-ˌfyü(-ə)ld\ adjective

Examples of FOSSIL FUEL

1. oil and other fossil fuels

First Known Use of FOSSIL FUEL

1835

Rhymes with FOSSIL FUEL

diesel fuel, Pantagruel

fossil fuel

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any of a class of materials of biologic origin occurring within the Earth's crust that can be used as a source of energy. Fossil fuels include coal, petroleum, and natural gas. They all contain carbon and were formed as a result of geologic processes acting on the remains of (mostly) plants and animals that lived and died hundreds of millions of years ago. All fossil fuels can be burned to provide heat, which may be used directly, as in home heating, or to produce steam to drive a generator for the production of electricity. Fossil fuels supply nearly 90% of all the energy used by industrially developed nations.