Words / B1

FOSL/ˈfɒsl/

A fossil is ancient remains in rock. Fossil fuels are coal, oil, and gas: burn fossil fuels; a fossil-fuel free target. Relic is a wider twin for the past. Do not call a living species a fossil except as a joke (a fossil in the department). Climate essays need fossil fuels as a collocation.

Meaning

The remains of a plant or animal in rock; also fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas).

Examples

• “The report urged a faster shift away from fossil fuels.”
• “The museum’s fossil collection is used on the geology field trip.”

Good to know

a fossil; fossil fuels / the fossil record. Climate collocation: fossil fuels. Joke sense: an old-fashioned person. Not a living animal.

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