coprolite

American  

[kop-ruh-lahyt] / ˈkɒp rəˌlaɪt /

noun

1. a stony mass consisting of fossilized fecal matter of animals.

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coprolite British  

/ ˈkɒprəˌlaɪt, ˌkɒprəˈlɪtɪk /

noun

1. any of various rounded stony nodules thought to be the fossilized faeces of Palaeozic-Cenozoic vertebrates

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coprolite Scientific  

/ kŏp′rə-līt′ /

1. Fossilized excrement. Analysis of the fossilized animal and plant remains within coprolites provides important information about the diet and environment of ancient biota.

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Other Word Forms

• coprolitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of coprolite

First recorded in 1820–30; copro- + -lite

Example Sentences

By rotating the coprolite in the beam, they created 3D reconstructions of the coprolite’s contents.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 30, 2021

“It’s already tiny. It’s already living in masses—otherwise there’s no way the coprolite could be full of it,” he says.

From Scientific American • Jun. 30, 2021

That preserved poop — technically termed a coprolite — could be the lumpy rock I am now holding in my hand.

From Washington Post • Jun. 16, 2018

"These coprolite samples were all taken under very controlled conditions," explained Eske Willerslev, from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

From BBC • Jul. 13, 2012

A simple example is seen in Mr. Jamieson's agricultural experiments to determine the effects of different manures, such as coprolite and superphosphate, on the growth of crops.

From Logic, Inductive and Deductive by Minto, William