Dictionary  fos•sil•izePronunciation: (fos'u-līz"), [key] —v., -ized, -iz•ing. —v.t. 1. Geol.to convert into a fossil; replace organic with mineral substances in the remains of an organism. 2. to change as if into mere lifeless remains or traces of the past. 3. to make rigidly antiquated: Time has fossilized such methods. —v.i. 1. to become a fossil or fossillike: The plant fossilized in comparatively recent geologic time. 2. Ling.(of a linguistic form, feature, rule, etc.) to become permanently established in the interlanguage of a second-language learner in a form that is deviant from the target-language norm and that continues to appear in performance regardless of further exposure to the target language. Also, esp. Brit.,fos'sil•ise". Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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