More from this author. 1  Largest World Cities: 2014. 2  World Urban Areas Population and Density: A 2012 Update. 3  Largest Cities in the World: 2016. 4  Largest 1,000 Cities on Earth: World Urban Areas: 2015 Edition. 5  The Costs of Smart Growth Revisited: A 40 Year Perspective.
Definition of fossil. 1  1 : a remnant, impression, or trace of an organism of past geologic ages that has been preserved in the earth's crust â compare living fossil. 2  2a : a person whose views are outmoded : fogyb : something (such as a theory) that has become rigidly fixed.
Fossil(adj) dug out of the earth; as, fossil coal; fossil salt. Fossil(adj) like or pertaining to fossils; contained in rocks, whether petrified or not; as, fossil plants, shells. Fossil(noun) a substance dug from the earth. Fossil(noun) the remains of an animal or plant found in stratified rocks. Most fossils belong to extinct species, but many of the later ones belong to species still living. Fossil(noun) a person whose views and opinions are extremely antiquated; one whose sympathies are with a former time rather than with the present.