fossiliferous

adjective

fos·​sil·​if·​er·​ous ˌfä-sə-ˈli-f(ə-)rəs How to pronounce fossiliferous (audio)
: containing fossils

Examples of fossiliferous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The key to unraveling the mystery is in the fossiliferous demographics of the Shonisaurus preserved in quarry 2. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2022 And that’s just from the fossiliferous rocks that have been explored so far. Riley Black, Smithsonian, 31 July 2019 Alas, quarrying explosives had blown apart the fossiliferous layers of rock, splintering many of the bones. Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 19 Dec. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fossiliferous was in 1829

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Cite this Entry

“Fossiliferous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fossiliferous. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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