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fossil

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The definition of a fossil is the preserved remains of a prehistoric organism or is slang for someone or something that is old and outdated.

(noun)

An example of a fossil is the preserved remains from a prehistoric organism that have been preserved inside rock.
An example of a fossil is an old, rigid unchanging person who won't embrace new technology.
An example of a fossil is the Lucy fossil, the remains of the oldest (3.18 million years old) remains of a human being ever found, discovered in Ethiopia in 1974 by Doctor Donald Johanson.

See fossil in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

Obsolete any rock or mineral dug out of the earth
any hardened remains or imprints of plant or animal life of some previous geologic period, preserved in the earth's crust, including petrified wood and various resins
anything fossilized or like a fossil
a person who is old-fashioned or has outmoded, fixed ideas

Origin: Fr fossile < L fossilis, dug out, dug up < fossus, pp. of fodere, to dig up < IE *bhedh-, to dig in the earth > Welsh bedd, grave, OE bedd, bed

adjective

of, having the nature of, or forming a fossil or fossils
belonging to the past; unchanged by progress; antiquated

See fossil in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

A remnant or trace of an organism of a past geologic age, such as a skeleton or leaf imprint, embedded and preserved in the earth's crust.
One, such as a rigid theory, that is outdated or antiquated.
Linguistics
a. A word or morpheme that is used only in certain restricted contexts, as kempt in unkempt, but is otherwise obsolete.
b. An archaic syntactic rule or pattern used only in idioms, as so be it.

adjective