From Latin 'fossilis' (dug up), from 'fodere' (to dig) — originally anything excavated, later narrowed to preserved ancient remains.
The preserved remains or traces of an organism that lived in a past geological age, typically found in rock. Figuratively: a person or thing that is outdated or resistant to change.
From French 'fossile' (dug up, obtained by digging), from Latin 'fossilis' (that which is obtained by excavation, dug from the earth), formed from 'fossus,' the past participle of 'fodere' (to dig, to excavate, to pierce the ground), from PIE *bʰodʰ- (to dig, to pierce the earth) — a root also underlying Latin 'fossa' (a ditch, a moat, a trench), English 'fosse' (a defensive moat in fortification), and 'pit' through Germanic channels. In classical and early modern Latin, 'fossilis' referred to anything obtained by digging — minerals, crystals, buried artefacts, metallic ores. The modern restriction to ancient preserved organisms was established during the Scientific Revolution
The word 'fossil fuel' is a near-oxymoron. 'Fossil' means 'dug up,' from Latin 'fodere' (to dig). 'Fuel' comes from Old French 'fouaille' (firewood), from Latin 'focālia' (materials for the hearth), from 'focus' (hearth, fire). So 'fossil fuel' literally means 'dug-up hearth-material' — a phrase that compresses