Fossil word

Fossil word

A fossil word is an obsolete word which remains in currency because it is contained within an idiom still in use. [cite book|url=http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50089008?|title=fossil|publisher=Oxford English Dictionary|edition=Second Edition, 1989|series=Additions Series, 1993|quote=A word or other linguistic form preserved only in isolated regions or in set phrases, idioms, or collocations] [cite book|last=Curme|first=George Oliver|title=Syntax|origyear=1931|url=http://books.google.combooks?id=tsl5AAAAIAAJ&q=CURME+Syntax&dq=CURME+Syntax&pgis=1|publisher=D. C. Heath and Company]

English language examples

*"Ulterior", as in 'ulterior motives'
*"Fro", as in 'to and fro'
*"Sleight", as in 'sleight of hand'
*"Scantily", as in 'scantily clad'
*"Cranny", as in 'nook and cranny'
*"Yore", as in 'days of yore'
*"Coign", as in 'coign of vantage'
*"Craw", as in 'sticks in one's craw' [ [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/stick+in+(one's)+craw thefreedictionary.com] ]
*"Fettle", as in 'fine fettle' [Quinion, Michael. [http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-fet1.htm World Wide Words] ]
*"Kith", as in 'kith and kin' [ [http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/kith%20and%20kin Yahoo dictionary "kith and kin"] ]
*"Spick", as in 'spick and span'
*"Loggerheads" as in 'at loggerheads' [ [http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/at-loggerheads.html Phrase Finder "at loggerheads"] ]
*"Offing", as in 'in the offing' [ [http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/201750.html Phrase Finder "in the offing"] ]
*"Shrift", as in 'short shrift' [ [http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/short-shrift.html Phrase Finder "short shrift"] ]

ee also

*Cranberry morpheme

References


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  • Fossil — Fos sil, n. 1. A substance dug from the earth. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Note: Formerly all minerals were called fossils, but the word is now restricted to express the remains of animals and plants found buried in the earth. Ure. [1913 Webster] 2.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fossil — I. adjective Etymology: Latin fossilis obtained by digging, from fodere to dig more at bed Date: 1604 1. preserved from a past geologic age < fossil plants > < fossil water in an underground reservoir > 2. being or resembling a fossil 3. of or… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Fossil fuel power plant — A fossil fuel power plant burns fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or petroleum (oil) to produce electricity.Fossil fuel power plants are designed on a large scale for continuous operation. In many countries, such plants provide most of the… …   Wikipedia

  • fossil */*/ — UK [ˈfɒs(ə)l] / US [ˈfɑs(ə)l] noun [countable] Word forms fossil : singular fossil plural fossils 1) an animal or plant, or a part of one, that lived many thousands of years ago and is preserved in rock or as a piece of rock fossils of shellfish… …   English dictionary

  • fossil vomit — n. The mineralized vomitus of a dinosaur or other ancient animal. Also: fossilised vomit. Example Citations: Coprolites are a subset of the broader field of bromalites, which have equally embarrassing origins, Hunt added. There s also fossil… …   New words

  • fossil — n. & adj. n. 1 the remains or impression of a (usu. prehistoric) plant or animal hardened in rock (often attrib. : fossil bones; fossil shells). 2 colloq. an antiquated or unchanging person or thing. 3 a word that has become obsolete except in… …   Useful english dictionary

  • fossil — fos•sil [[t]ˈfɒs əl[/t]] n. 1) pal any preserved remains or imprint of a living organism, usu. of a former geologic age, as a bone, shell, or leaf impression 2) a markedly outdated or old fashioned person or thing 3) ling. an obsolete or archaic… …   From formal English to slang

  • fossil — [17] Etymologically, a fossil is something ‘dug’ out of the ground. It comes via French fossile from Latin fossilis ‘dug up’, a derivative of the verb fodere ‘dig’. The English adjective originally meant virtually the same as Latin fossilis… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • fossil fuel — UK / US noun [countable/uncountable] Word forms fossil fuel : singular fossil fuel plural fossil fuels science a fuel such as coal or oil, made from decayed material from animals or plants that lived many thousands of years ago …   English dictionary

  • fossil — [17] Etymologically, a fossil is something ‘dug’ out of the ground. It comes via French fossile from Latin fossilis ‘dug up’, a derivative of the verb fodere ‘dig’. The English adjective originally meant virtually the same as Latin fossilis… …   Word origins

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