ossiferous

[ o-sif-er-uhs ]

adjective

1. containing bones, especially fossil bones:

   ossiferous caves and rock beds.

ossiferous

/ ɒˈsɪfərəs /

adjective

1. geology containing or yielding bones

   ossiferous caves

Word History and Origins

Origin of ossiferous¹

1815–25; < Latin ossi- (combining form of os ) bone + -ferous

Example Sentences

Its remains are found not only in Ireland but in Scotland and England, and on the Continent, where they occur in bogs, lacustrine deposits, brick-clay, and ossiferous caves.

From Project Gutenberg

Lying beneath this ossiferous sand, were several flint axes of human workmanship.

From Project Gutenberg

Besides the bear and hyena, upwards of a hundred species of extinct animals have been found in the ossiferous caves of Great Britain, among them being those of the elephant and a rhinoceros.

From Project Gutenberg

Brixham Cave, called also Windmill Hill Cavern, is a well-known ossiferous cave situated near Brixham, on the brow of a hill composed of Devonian limestone.

From Project Gutenberg

The fragments of egg-shells, imbedded in the ossiferous deposits, had escaped the notice of all previous naturalists.

From Project Gutenberg