fossilization

UK: /ˌfɒsɪlaɪˈzeɪʃən/ US: /ˌfɑsələˈzeɪʃən/

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

fos•sil•ize /ˈfɑsəˌlaɪz/   v., -ized, -iz•ing. 

1. Geology to convert into or become a fossil: [no object]
   Those specimens will fossilize.
   [~ + object]
   Those specimens were fossilized by the passing of time.
2. to cause to become out-of-date:
   [~ + object; often: be + ~-ed] fossilized social attitudes.

fos•sil•i•za•tion /ˌfɑsələˈzeɪʃən/  n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

fos•sil•ize  (fos′ə līz′), v., -ized, -iz•ing. 
v.t. 

1. Geology to convert into a fossil;
   replace organic with mineral substances in the remains of an organism.
2. to change as if into mere lifeless remains or traces of the past.
3. to make rigidly antiquated:
   Time has fossilized such methods.

v.i. 

4. Geology to become a fossil or fossillike:
   The plant fossilized in comparatively recent geologic time.
5. Linguistics (of a linguistic form, feature, rule, etc.) to become permanently established in the interlanguage of a second-language learner in a form that is deviant from the target-language norm and that continues to appear in performance regardless of further exposure to the target language.

Also,[esp. Brit.,] fos′sil•ise′. 

• fossil + -ize 1785–95

fos′sil•iz′a•ble, adj. 
fos′sil•i•za′tion, n.