fossa 
submaxillary gland. - Subscapular fossa, the concave 
anterior surface "f the scapula occupied by the suhscapu- 
laris muscle. Suprasplnous fossa, the surface of the 
dorsum of the scapula above the spinous process, occu- 
pied by the supraspinatus muscle. See cut under scapula. 
Temporal fossa, the general depression on the outer 
surface of the side of the skull, in the temporal region, 
above the level of the zygoma, filled in by the tempi >ntl 
muscle, and continuous below the zygoma with the zygo- 
matic fossa. TTOChanteriC fossa. .Same a&diijitalfossa. 
See tlifiitttL 2ygomatic fossa, the general recess on the 
side of the skull below and within the zygomatic arch, 
heing the downward extension of the temporal fossa, from 
which it is distinguished by a ridge on the great wing of 
the sphenoid bone separating the temporal from the exter- 
nal pterygoid muscle. It is bounded by the surrounding 
surfaces of the sphenoid, superior maxillary, malar, and in- 
ferior maxillary bones. 
Fossa 2 (fos'a), n. [NL., < foussa, a native 
name.] 1. In zool., a genus of Madagascan 
viverrine quadrupeds, allied to the genets. F. 
daubentoni is the tambasading or fossa, a grayish-black 
animal, whitish below, striped and spotted above, and with 
the tail half-ringed. 
2. [I. c.] The species of this genus, formerly 
called Genetta fossa. 
fossaget (fos'aj), n. [< /os* 2 + -age.] In old 
law, a duty levied on the inhabitants of a forti- 
fied town for the purpose of cleaning the foss 
surrounding it; or a composition paid to be 
free from the duty of cleaning the foss. 
fossak (fos'ak), . An estuarine form of the 
common European trout, Salmofario. 
The tidal trout, or so-called fossak of the Inver and 
other rivers. Atheiumm, April 21, 18S8, p. 503. 
Fossar (fos'ar), n. [NL. (Adanson); etymol- 
ogy unknown.] The typical genus of Fossa- 
rid^. J. E. Gray, 1840. 
Fossarian (fo-sa'ri-an), ii. [< ML. Fossarii, pi., 
< L./oss, a ditch : see/oss 2 .] 1. In eccles. hist., 
about the fourth century, one of a body of minor 
clergy who were employed as grave-diggers, and 
more commonly known as Copiatte. 2. One of 
a body of sectaries, about the fifteenth century, 
who rejected the sacraments, and celebrated 
their peculiar rites in ditches and caves. 
fossarid (fos'a-rid), . A gastropod of the fam- 
ily Fossaridai. 
Fossaridae (fo-sar'i-de), n. pi. [NL., < Fossar 
+ -i<te.] A family of gastropods, taking name 
from the genus Fossar. The head is proboscidiform, 
the radula provided with seven rows of teeth, of which 
the central is cuspidate, the lateral transverse, and the 
marginal elongate and simple ; the shell is turbinate, spi- 
rally costate or grooved, with an entire aperture and an 
almost straight columella ; and the operculum is corneous 
and subspiral or subconcentric. The species are sparingly 
distributed in most warm seas. 
fosse, n. See foss 2 . 
fosset (fos'et), . An obsolete or dialectal form 
of faucet. 
fosset-sellert (fos'et-seFer), n. One who sells 
faucets. 
You wear out a good wholesome forenoon in hearing a 
cause between an orange-wife and a fosset-seller. 
Shak., Cor., II. 1. 
fossette (fo-sef), [F., dim. of fosse, a ditch: 
see /os* 2 .] 1. A little hollow ; a dimple. 2. 
Inpathol., a small ulcer of the transparent cor- 
nea, the center of which is deep. 
fosseway, . See fossmay. 
fossick (fos'ik), v. i. [Of obscure dial, origin.] 
1. To be troublesome. [Prov. Eng.] 2. In 
gold-digging, to undermine another's digging; 
search for waste gold in relinquished workings, 
washing-places, etc. ; hence, to search for any 
object by which to make gain : as, to fossick for 
clients. [Australia.] 
The latest linguistic importation comes from Australia 
in the shape of the verb "to/osjrt'efc." 
Daily Teleyraph (London). 
I discoursed with the eldest boy Alick, . . . who kept the 
whole family in bread, besides supplying his mother in li- 
quor, by what is called fossicking in the creek for wasted 
gold. H. Kingsley. 
fossick (fos'ik), n. [See fossick, .] A trouble- 
some person. Halliwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
fossicker (fos'i-ker), n. A miner who tries his 
luck in abandoned mines, or works over old 
waste-heaps, in the hope of finding something 
of value. [Australia.] 
A fossicker is to the miner as is the gleaner to the reap- 
er ; he picks the crevices and pockets of the rocks. 
R. Brough Smyth. 
fossil (fos'il), a. and . [Formerly also/os*Ze; 
< F. fossils = Sp. f6sil = Pg. fossil = It. fossile, 
< L. fossilis, dug out, dug up, < fodere, pp. fos- 
sus, dig.] I. a. 1. Dug out of the earth: as, 
fossil coal ; fossil salt. 
Lo ! from the depth of many a yawning mine 
thy fossil treasures rise. Dodsley, Agriculture, iii. 
2. Pertaining to or resembling fossils; pre- 
served by natural inhumation, as an organic 
2348 
body, in form and sometimes in texture: as, 
fossil shells, bones, or wood. See II., L'. 
Language is fossil poetry. Knu'ryon, The Poet. 
Fossil remains of Men or implements of human manu- 
facture have hitherto been found only in late Tertiary . . . 
deposits, ami in caves, mingled with the remains of ani- 
mals which lived during the glacial epoch. 
Huxley, Anat. Vert., p. 422. 
Spiders are not creatures which belong solely to the 
present geologic era of the earth, for fossil spiders . . . 
as well as spiders in amber have been found ; the oldest 
in the coal formation. Kncyc. Brit., II. 299. 
3. Figuratively, antiquated; superannuated; 
outgrown; belonging to a past epoch or dis- 
carded system: as, a fossil statesman; fossil 
manners or literature Fossil bezoar, button- 
mold, copal, etc. See the nouns. Fossil charcoal. 
Same as wother-of-coal (which see, under coal). Fossil 
cork, flax, paper, and wood, popular names for asbes- 
tos respectively of cork-like, flax-like, or paper-like tex- 
ture, or resembling fossilized wood. Fossil farina. See 
farina. Fossil flour, infusorial earth, as that often 
found beneath peat-beds: a white, impalpable, flour-like 
powder, consisting for the most part of the silicious shells 
of diatoms. Fossil ivory, ivory furnished by the tusks 
of mammoths preserved from prehistoric times in the ice 
of northern Siberia. It is of good quality, and sufficient 
in quantity to be an important article of trade. Fossil 
screw, a popular name for a cast in rock left by a spiral 
shell. E. D. 
II. . 1. Any rock or mineral, or any min- 
eral substance, whether of an organic or of an 
inorganic nature, dug out of the ground. 
2. Specifically, in later geological and min- 
eralogical use, anything which has been buried 
beneath the surface of the earth by natural 
causes or geological agencies, and which bears 
in its form or chemical composition the evi- 
dence that it is of organic origin. Thus, the 
shell of a mollusk may be preserved unchanged, in both 
form and chemical composition ; or, while retaining its 
original form, it may have been converted into silica ; or 
it may have disappeared entirely, leaving only a cast as 
evidence of its former existence ; or there may remain 
only a mold of its interior, formed after the soft parts had 
entirely decayed : in any of these cases, the specimen pr 
fragment of rock which thus shows by its form that it, 
either wholly or in part, belonged to an organic body, or 
that its configuration resulted from the presence of some- 
thing having had an organized existence, would be proper- 
ly called & fossil. Even the rocks showing traces of trails, 
footprints, bored cavities, or other evidences of contact 
with organic life, are usually designated as fossils. The 
bones or other remains of species now living on the earth, 
if buried by any recent catastrophe, such asa flood or land- 
slide, would not, as a general rule, be designated as fossil, 
but would be called recent. If, however, such an entomb- 
ment took place in prehistoric times, the term/oJ would 
by most geologists be used in describing the occurrence in 
preference to recent. 
3. Hence, figuratively, one who or something 
which is antiquated, or has fallen behind the 
progress of ideas ; a person or thing of super- 
annuated or discarded character or quality: as, 
a curious literary fossil Dyestone fossil. Same 
as dyestoiie ore. See dyestone. 
fossiled (fos'ild), a. [< fossil + -erf 2 .] Fossil ; 
fossilized, 
fossiliferous (fos-i-lif'e-rus), a. [= F.fossili- 
fere, < L. fossilis, fossil, + ferre = E. Dear 1 .] 
Bearing or containing fossils : as, fossiliferous 
rocks. 
Neither Hutton nor his friends had any conception of 
the existence of the great series of fossiliferoui formations 
which has since been unfolded by the labors of later ob- 
servers. Qeikie, Geul. Sketches, ii. 29. 
fossiliflcation (fo-sil'i-fi-ka'shon), n. [< fos- 
silify: see -ftcation] The act of fossilizing or 
of becoming fossil ; petrifaction. 
fossilify (fo-sil'i-fi), v. ; pret. and -pp. fossilijied, 
ppr. fossilifying. [< fossil + -i-fy-] I. trans. 
To convert into a fossil ; fossilize ; petrify. 
II. intrans. To become a fossil ; petrify. 
fossilisation, fossilise. See fossilization, fos- 
silize. 
fossilism (fos'il-izm), n. [< fossil + -ism] 1. 
The state of being fossil; the character of a 
fossil, in any sense of that word. Also fossility. 
2. The scientific study of fossils; paleon- 
tology. Also called fossilogy, fossilology. 
fossilist (fos'il-ist), n. [< fossil + -ist.] One 
who studies fossils; one versed in the scien- 
tific study of fossils ; a paleontologist. 
It is well shaded by tall ash trees of a species, as Mr. 
Jones, the fossilist, informed me, uncommonly valuable. 
Johnson, Jour, to Western Isles. 
fossility (fo-sil'i-ti), n. [= "F.fossilite; &sfossil 
+ -ity.] Same &s fossilism, 1. 
fossilization (fos'il-i-za'shon), n. [= F.fos- 
silisation ; as fossilize + -dtion] The act or 
process of fossilizing, pr converting animal or 
vegetable substances into fossils or petrifac- 
tions; the state of being fossilized Also spell- 
ed fossilisation. 
fossulet 
A large proportion of aquatic creatures have structures 
that do not admit of /"Utilisation. 
II. Spencer, Universal Progress, ]j. 349. 
fossilize (fos'il-lz), v. : pret. and pp. fossilized, 
ppr. funsili;i>iy. [= F. fosniliser ; < fossil + 
-ize.~] I. trans. 1. To reduce to a fossil condi- 
tion; convert into a fossil: as, to fossilize bones 
or wood. 2. To render like a fossil; cause to 
become antiquated or out of harmony with pres- 
ent time and circumstances and the progress 
of ideas: as, age has a tendency to fossilize 
men's minds and ideas. 
There, indeed, you are among the French, the fossilised 
remains of the old regime. liiilwer, Pelham, xxil. 
II. intraiis. 1. To become or be changed 
into a fossil. 2. To become antiquated or ob- 
solete ; become out of harmony with the pres- 
ent time and circumstances by falling behind 
the progress of ideas. 
Also spelled fossilise. ' 
fossilogist (fo-sil'o-jist), n. Same as fossilolo- 
(jist. Joilrcll. 
fossilogy (fo-sil'o-ji), . Same as fossilism, 2. 
fossilologist (fos-i-lol'o-jist), . [< fossilology 
+ -iftt] One versed in fossilology ; afossilist. 
fossilology (fos-i-lol'o-ji), . [< fossil + 
-ology : see -ology] Same a,s fossilism, 2. 
fossor (fos'or), n. ; pl.fossores(lo-ad'iez). [L., 
<fodere, pp. fossus, dig: see foss?.] A grave- 
digger. 
The fossores, or grave-diggers, who appear to have es- 
tablished a kind of property in the Catacombs. 
Encyc. Brit., V. 214. 
Fossores (fo-so'rez), n. pi. [L., pi. of fossor, 
a digger: see fossor.] 1. In entom.: (a) In 
Latreille's system of classification, the second 
family of aculeate hymenopterous insects. It 
was divided into Scoliete*, Sapygites, Spheyites, Bembe- 
vide*, Larrates, Nyssoniens, and Crabrionttes, and was 
nearly equivalent to the modern Fossores, not including 
the family Mutiiiidas. (&) The digger-wasps; the 
Fossoria. It is a group of burrowing hymenopterous 
insects having the posterior abdominal segments not re- 
tractile and the basal joint of the hind tarsi not dilated. 
The females are anned with a sting, and the neuters, when 
there are any, are winged. The group includes such fam- 
ilies as the Vespidce, Spheyida', Pompilidce, etc., together 
with the tlutillida. ( c ) A Latreillean group of 
f ossorialcaraboid beetles, the Bijjartitior Scari- 
tides. 2f. In mammal., a group of burrowing 
or fossorial quadrupeds. 
Fossoria (fo-so'ri-a), n. pi. [NL.: see Fossores.] 
A division of hymenopterous insects, includ- 
ing the burrowers, as burrowing-wasps, sand- 
wasps, mud-wasps, daubers, etc.: practically 
the same as Fossores, 1 (6). 
fossorial (fo-so'ri-al), . and n. [< LL. fosso- 
rius, < L. fossor, a digger: see fossor.'] I. a. 1. 
Digging, burrowing, or excavating, especially 
in the ground; fodient: as, a, fossorial animal. 
2. Fit or used for digging or burrowing : as, 
a fossorial limb. 3. Able to dig or burrow ; 
being a burro wer; specifically, of or pertain- 
ing to the Fossores, Fossoria, or Fodientia : as, 
fossorial nature or habits; a fossorial insect 
or quadruped. Fossorial Hymenoptera, Hymenop- 
tera l>elonging to Latreille's group of the Fossores. They 
generally have all the tibiae strongly spined, but not ex- 
panded as In the typical fossorial limb. Fossorial legs, 
in entom., legs in which the tibia; are very broad, flat, or 
concave beneath, and generally with several processes or 
teeth on the outer edge, serving like claws for digging. 
The tarsus also maybe expanded, but generally it is small 
and sometimes entirely absent ; the whole leg is stout and 
has great muscular force. The fossorial form is most com- 
monly seen in the anterior legs ; it is well exemplified in 
the mole-crickets and in many Coleopttra. 
II. n. An animal which digs into the earth 
for a retreat or residence, and whose feet are 
adapted for that purpose ; a burrowing animal. 
fossorious (fo-so'ri-us), a. [< LL. fossorius : 
see fossorial.] In entom., same as fossorial. 
fossula (fos'u-la), it. ; pi. fossula: (-le). [L., 
dim. of fossa, & ditch: see foss 2 .] A small fos- 
sa; specifically, a vacant space representing 
one of the primitive septa of certain corals, as 
the Ruyosa, more fully called a septal fossula. 
Also fossule. 
The septal fossula usually presents itself as a more or 
less conspicuous depression or groove in the chalice. . . . 
In general it is a simple space or deficiency caused by the 
absence or abortion of one of the four primary septa. 
Emyc. Brit., VI. 382. 
fossulate (fos'u-lat), a. [< fossula + 
In aitat. and zool., grooved; slightly excavated 
or hollowed out; having a small or shallow 
fossa. 
fossule (fos'ul), . [< fossula.] Same as fos- 
sula. 
fossulet (fos'u-let), . [< fossule + -et] In 
entom., a somewhat long and narrow depres- 
sion ; a fossula : said of the sculpture of insects. 
