Where does “fossil” come from?

fossil (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Latin fossilis, from Latin fossa, from Latin fodiō, from Proto-Indo-European bʰod- — to pierce, dig.

fossil (Norwegian Bokmål): fossilised (UK), fossilized, or fossil (noun modifier: e.g. fossil fuels)

Definitions

  1. fossilised (UK), fossilized, or fossil (noun modifier: e.g. fossil fuels)

Ancestry of “fossil”, step by step

fossil traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Latin fossilis

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinfossilisRetrieved from the earth, dug out, dug up,...
2Latinfossaditch, trench, moat; gutter, waterway; grave
3Latinfodiōto dig, dig up, dig out; to bury; to dig or clear out the earth from a place; to mine, quarry
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰod-to pierce, dig

via New Latin fossile

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1New Latinfossilenominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular of...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰod- →Every word from Latin fodiō →Every word from Latin fossa →