From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfossilfos‧sil /ˈfɒsəl $ ˈfɑː-/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 
HEGan animal or plant that lived many thousands of years ago and that has been preserved, or the shape of one of these animals or plants that has been preserved in rock fossils of early reptiles Marine sponges have a long fossil record (=their development has been recorded over a long period).2 informalOLD/NOT YOUNG an insulting word for an old person
HEGan animal or plant that lived many thousands of years ago and that has been preserved, or the shape of one of these animals or plants that has been preserved in rock fossils of early reptiles Marine sponges have a long fossil record (=their development has been recorded over a long period).2 informalOLD/NOT YOUNG an insulting word for an old personExamples from the Corpus
fossil• I wanted to go out collecting fossils at a place about a mile from here.• Several dinosaur fossils were found in Montana.• We know about them from fossil records.• There have been several suggestions as to how fossil agnathans may fit into a scheme such as this.• Lake beds are thought to be the most likely source of fossils.• Their fossils are commonest in Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks.• Paleontologists have found many transitional fossils representing intermediate forms in the evolution of one major form of life into another.fossil record• Most are microscopic, and many have no skeleton and therefore lack a fossil record.• We know about them from fossil records.• In the 1850s the fossil record began to yield evidence for a new kind of trend within the development of each class.• Nevertheless this is not to deny that there are some very curious features about the fossil record.• For heaven's sake, Rachel, look at the fossil record as a whole.• But the fossil record of the insects is far from perfect - very sporadic and selective.• The greatest problems in the fossil record, however, are the sudden extinctions.• The fossil record shows that species do not evolve, .Origin fossil (1500-1600) Latin fossilis “dug up”, from fodere “to dig” 