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Glite Dictionary
fossil copal

fossil copal

9.9
A hard tree resin partly turned to stone and found underground
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : copal fósil
  • The geologist carefully extracted a piece of fossil copal from the ancient sediment.

Examples

  • Unlike fresh copal, fossil copal shows some degree of mineralization due to its age.

  • Some jewelry is made from fossil copal, which is less expensive than true amber.

  • The fossil copal was discovered in a cave.

  • Can you identify the fossil copal in this sample?

  • The geologist carefully extracted a piece of fossil copal from the ancient sediment.

  • Some jewelry is made from fossil copal, which is less expensive than true amber.

  • Unlike fresh copal, fossil copal shows some degree of mineralization due to its age.

Synonyms

copalite
vsfossil copal
  • Specialized
9.9

A hardened tree resin dug from the ground that is between copal and amber

is the same substance but has a different name
copaline
vsfossil copal
  • Specialized
9.9

Old tree sap that is partly turned to stone

is the same substance but has a different name

How Mineralized

amber
24 5.7
fossil copal
  • Specialized
9.9
copal
  • Specialized
9.9
resin
  • Specialized
26 4.4

Surface Forms

fossil copal singular
fossil copals plural

Morphology

fossil + copal

The meaning ('copal that has been partly mineralized/ancient copal') is directly compositional from 'fossil' (ancient/remains) + 'copal' (tree resin); a learner who knows both words can infer that this refers to copal in a fossilized or aged state. The noun+noun modifier pattern is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common way to indicate an X that is fossilized, so the phrase is transparently derivable from its parts.

Etymology

Fossil copal comes from fossil + copal and gives a clear picture: copal is tree resin and fossil shows it is old and buried, so it is resin that has partly hardened underground. That's why fossil copal means an in-between stage between 'resin' and 'amber', and why it is often used as cheaper jewelry material.