fossilize

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

Examples of fossilize in a Sentence

The mud helped to preserve and fossilize the wood.

Recent Examples on the Web

The hot volcanic flow that buried the trilobites preserved impressions of soft tissues that typically don’t fossilize, including gut organs, antennae, feeding structures and clusters of sensory bristles, and tiny spines on the trilobites’ appendages. —Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 9 July 2024

The Petrified Forest encompasses vast areas where ancient trees have fossilized into colorful, mineralized stone. —Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 9 July 2024

One specimen preserves both feather impressions and tendons, which rarely fossilize. —Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 7 July 2024

Even in the exceedingly unlikely event that the OSIRIS-REx sample harbors fossilized alien microorganisms, Bennu won’t provide any concrete answers as to how life got started on Earth. —Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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