1. the process by which organic remains are converted into fossils through burial and chemical change over geological time
Usage: geology; paleontology
2. the process of becoming fixed, rigid, or unable to change; hardening into an unchanging form
Usage: figurative

Examples

• The fossilization of the dinosaur bones took millions of years.
• Amber preserves insects through a rapid fossilization process.
• The fossilization of outdated policies prevented the company from adapting to market changes.
• Language undergoes fossilization when speakers stop innovating and repeat fixed patterns.
• The fossilization of social attitudes can hinder progress and reform.
• Paleontologists study fossilization to understand how organisms are preserved in rock layers.