fossiliferous

adjective

fos·​sil·​if·​er·​ous ˌfä-sə-ˈli-f(ə-)rəs How to pronounce fossiliferous (audio)
: containing fossils

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Researchers working in northeastern Wyoming, in the fossiliferous Black Hills region, found a bunch of dinosaur bones. Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 24 July 2018 The 100-million-year-old toe bit is not new to science; it was found in 1999 during an excavation of Morocco's famously fossiliferous Kem Kem Beds and sat on a museum shelf in Milan for nearly 20 years. Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2018 The key to unraveling the mystery is in the fossiliferous demographics of the Shonisaurus preserved in quarry 2. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2022 Many different lines of evidence have become involved in this fossiliferous sleuthing. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 July 2022 The sheer pressure put on Ammonite to fulfill our fossiliferous expectations says something about our current moment in science. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Aug. 2020 And that’s just from the fossiliferous rocks that have been explored so far. Riley Black, Smithsonian, 31 July 2019 Brian Switek Brian is a freelance science writer and author of fossiliferous books such as My Beloved Brontosaurus. Brian Switek, Scientific American, 25 June 2019 Soak Up the Past Among its other bona fides, Wyoming is one of the most fossiliferous places on the planet. Sunset, 22 Jan. 2018 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fossiliferous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fossiliferous was in 1829

Dictionary Entries Near fossiliferous

Cite this Entry

“Fossiliferous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fossiliferous. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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