coprolite

«coprolite» in Mova's school dictionary: fossilised poo (dung) from an animal that lived long ago… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (coprolite, coprolites)

meaning for a pupil

A coprolite is fossilised poo (dung) from an animal that lived long ago, such as a dinosaur, that has slowly turned to stone. tree →

sense in the lessons

In science lessons about fossils and dinosaurs, coprolites are trace fossils: they show what ancient animals ate, because scientists can find bits of bone, fish scales or plants inside them. Children often find the word funny, and museums like to show them. Common phrases: «a dinosaur coprolite», «fossil coprolite», «trace fossil».

examples

• The museum had a coprolite from a Tyrannosaurus rex. tree →
• Scientists cut open the coprolite and found tiny pieces of bone inside. tree →
• A coprolite is a kind of trace fossil. tree →
• Mary Anning found coprolites on the beach at Lyme Regis. tree →
• The class giggled when they learned a coprolite is fossil poo. tree →
• Coprolites tell us what dinosaurs had for dinner. tree →
• The coprolite felt heavy and hard, just like a rock. tree →

note

Plural: coprolites. Say COP-ro-lite. It comes from Greek words meaning «dung» and «stone». A coprolite does not smell, because it has turned to rock. It is a polite, scientific word, not a rude one.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «coprolite» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.