fossilize

1 of 2

verb

fos·​sil·​ize ˈfä-sə-ˌlīz 

fossilized; fossilizing

transitive verb

1

: to convert into a fossil

2

: to make outmoded, rigid, or fixed

intransitive verb

: to become changed into a fossil

fossilization

ˌfä-sə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

fossilization

2 of 2

noun

fos·​sil·​iza·​tion

variants also British fossilisation

ˌ⸗⸗lə̇ˈzāshən, 

-ˌlīˈz-

plural -s

: the process of fossilizing or becoming fossilized

Examples of fossilize in a Sentence

Verb

The mud helped to preserve and fossilize the wood.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Also, the vocal tracts and brains of our ancestors did not fossilize as they were made of soft tissue. — Hannah Little, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2026

Even when stomped into the mud by a 17,500-pound apex predator, dinosaur footprints rarely last long enough to fossilize over millions of years. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2026

According to Jurassic Park scientists, the insect is believed to have fed on the blood of dinosaurs millions of years ago and became fossilized after getting stuck in the sap of a tree, dino blood included. — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Aug. 2026

These relationships are loaded with different wishes, needs, frustrations, and histories that have become fossilized. — Orna Guralnik, The New York Review of Books, 4 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

International Scientific Vocabulary fossilize + -ation

First Known Use

Verb

1794, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1817, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fossilize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize
• butterflies

Kids Definition

fossilize

verb

fos·​sil·​ize ˈfäs-ə-ˌlīz 

fossilized; fossilizing

: to change or become changed into a fossil

fossilization

ˌfäs-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

noun