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Definition of "living fossil" []

  • An organism, such as a coelacanth or the ginkgo, that is the sole surviving member of an otherwise extinct taxonomic group. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "living fossil" in a sentence
  • "My favourite living fossil is the brachiopod Lingula."