living fossil

短语

n. 活化石

发音

UK /ˈlɪvɪŋ ˈfɒsl̩/
AU
US /ˈlɪvɪŋ ˈfɑsl̩/

词形变化

living fossils 复数 living fossils

释义与例句

n.
  1. 1.

    Any species discovered first as a fossil and believed extinct, but which is later found living; an organism that has remained unchanged over geological periods.

    活化石

    The coelacanth and the dawn redwood are living fossils.

  2. 2.

    Any living species which very closely resembles fossil relatives in most anatomical details.

    活化石

    Crocodiles are living fossils that haven’t changed their appearance much in millions of years.

词源

The term was coined by the English biologist, geologist, and naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) in his work On the Origin of Species (1859): see the quotation below.

来源：wiktionary