Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

fossiliferous

American  
[fos-uh-lif-er-uhs] / ˌfɒs əˈlɪf ər əs /

adjective

  1. bearing or containing fossils, as rocks or strata.

fossiliferous British  
/ ˌfɒsɪˈlɪfərəs /

adjective

  1. (of sedimentary rocks) containing fossils

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonfossiliferous adjective
  • unfossiliferous adjective

Etymology

Origin of fossiliferous

First recorded in 1840–50; fossil + -i- + -ferous

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.