fossilizing
Turning to rock
Fossilizing is the process of becoming or making into a fossil—preserved remains hardened in rock over geological time.
The word usually appears figuratively: ideas, institutions, or habits fossilize when they become rigid and outdated.
The department was fossilizing under its longtime director.
To accuse something of fossilizing suggests it has stopped evolving and lost vitality.
Hite calcium deposits form
- mineralizeConvert to inorganic matter
- lithifyConvert to stone
- solidifyMake or become hard
- hardenMake or become firm
crystallize · indurate · cement · ossify · silicify · replace · infill · cast
Hardened ancient tree secretion
- tarFile bundling utility
- permafrostPerpetually frozen earth layer
- peatWaterlogged decomposed vegetation
- bogAcidic peat wetland
mummification · desiccation · entombment · encapsulation · freezing · resin · sap · sediment
Make firm, unyielding
- ossifyConvert to calcium tissue
- calcifyHite calcium deposits form
- stagnateCease to develop
- antiquateMake obsolete or outdated
outdate · entrench · fixate · crystallize · inflexible · static · unchanging · archaic
Study of ancient organisms
- dinosaursExtinct prehistoric reptiles
- trilobitesExtinct marine arthropods
- ammonitesExtinct coiled-shell cephalopods
- extinctNo longer existing
archaeology · excavation · megafauna · mastodon · pterodactyl · vertebrates · invertebrates · paleoecology
Particles settling in liquid
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- burialPlacing deceased underground
- compressionForcing into smaller space
- mineralizationConversion to mineral form
sedimentary · geochronology · carbonate · isotope · strata · bedrock · limestone · shale
calcify
Hite calcium deposits form
- mineralizeConvert to inorganic matter
- lithifyConvert to stone
- solidifyMake or become hard
harden · crystallize · indurate · cement · ossify · silicify · replace · infill · cast · mold
amber
Hardened ancient tree secretion
- tarFile bundling utility
- permafrostPerpetually frozen earth layer
- peatWaterlogged decomposed vegetation
bog · mummification · desiccation · entombment · encapsulation · freezing · resin · sap · sediment · mud
rigidify
Make firm, unyielding
antiquate · outdate · entrench · fixate · crystallize · inflexible · static · unchanging · archaic · outdated
paleontology
Study of ancient organisms
- dinosaursExtinct prehistoric reptiles
- trilobitesExtinct marine arthropods
- ammonitesExtinct coiled-shell cephalopods
extinct · archaeology · excavation · megafauna · mastodon · pterodactyl · vertebrates · invertebrates · paleoecology · cretaceous
sedimentation
Particles settling in liquid
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- burialPlacing deceased underground
- compressionForcing into smaller space
mineralization · sedimentary · geochronology · carbonate · isotope · strata · bedrock · limestone · shale · imprint
fossilizingdecomposing
Organic matter breaking down
decaying · rotting · putrefying · disintegrating · biodegrading
fossilizingevolving
Changing gradually over time
adapting · modernizing · innovating · transforming · developing
fossilizingfreshening
Making more lively
rejuvenating · revitalizing · regenerating · renewing · emerging
fossil, fossilized, fossilize, fossilization, fossilised, fossilizes, fossilise, fossilising, fossilises