# fossil

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈfɒsl̩/ · frequency rank #7,228

## Definitions
1. The mineralized remains of an animal or plant.
2. Any preserved evidence of ancient life, including shells, imprints, burrows, coprolites, and organically-produced chemicals.
3. A fossil word.
4. Anything extremely old, extinct, or outdated.
5. An extremely old or outdated person.

## Etymology
From French fossile, from Latin fossilis (“something which has been dug up”), from fodio (“to dig up”).

## Easily confused with
- **FOIL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foil-vs-fossil)
- **FOSS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foss-vs-fossil)
- **fossa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fossa-vs-fossil)
- **fissile** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fissile-vs-fossil)

## Common misspellings (7)
`ffossil`, `fosil`, `fosisl`, `fossill`, `fossli`, `fsosil`, `ofssil`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fossil