1. A fossil or fossilized remains of a crinoid, a marine animal with a cup-shaped body and feathery arms.
Usage: paleontology; geology

Examples

• The museum displayed a collection of encrinites from the Paleozoic era.
• Geologists found encrinites embedded in the limestone layers.
• The encrinite specimen showed the characteristic segmented structure of ancient crinoids.
• Encrinites are valuable indicators of ancient marine environments.
• The fossil bed contained numerous encrinites scattered throughout the rock formation.