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.
(fÅs'Él) The remains or imprint of an organism from a previous geologic time. A fossil can consist of the preserved tissues of an organism, as when encased in amber, ice, or pitch, or more commonly of the hardened relic of such tissues, as when organic matter is replaced by dissolved minerals. Hardened fossils are often found in layers of sedimentary rock and along the beds of rivers that flow through them.