mesofossil

M3E1S1O1F4O1S1S1I1L1

noun

A fossil of a small part of a plant, such as a fruit, leaf or seed.

Scrabble 15

Meanings

nounmesofossil (plural mesofossils)

plural mesofossils · alternative meso-fossil

  1. biologyA fossil of a small part of a plant, such as a fruit, leaf or seed.

    The present study, based on the morphology of leaves and reproductive organs, reveals much more diversified mesofossil plant assemblages.

    2012, Bernard Gomez et al., “10: Mesofossil Plant Remains from the Barremian of Hautrage (Mons Basin, Belgium), with Taphonomy, Paleoecology, and Paleoenvironment Insights”, in Pascal Godefroit, editor, Bernissart Dinosaurs and Early Cretaceous Terrestrial Ecosystems, Indiana University Press, page 105
    2 more examples

    The mesofossils are small, three-dimensional and charcoalified or lignitized and yield exquisite structural details when studied with scanning electron microscopy.

    1999, XVI International Botanical Congress, Abstracts, International Association of Botanical and Mycological Societies, page 180

    Currently, seeds assignable to Nitaspermum are recorded only from the early to mid-Albian mesofossil floras at Puddledock and Kenilworth localities, eastern North America.

    2018, Else Marie Friis, Peter R. Crane, Kaj R. Pedersen, “17: Fossil Seeds with Affinities to Austrobaileyales and Nymphaeales From the Early Cretaceous (Early to Middle Albian) of Virginia and Maryland, USA”, in Michael Krings, Carla J. Harper, Néstor Rubén Cúneo, Gar W. Rothwell, editors, Transformative Paleobotany, Elsevier (Academic Press), page 432

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*me
  2. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-?
  3. Proto-Indo-European*médʰi
  4. Proto-Indo-European*médʰyos
  5. Proto-Hellenic*métsos
  6. Ancient Greekμέσος (mésos)
  7. Englishmeso-
  8. Englishfossil
  9. Englishmesofossil

From meso- + fossil.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

German Mesofossil
  • Mesofossilfossil of a small part of a plant
Italian mesofossile
  • mesofossilefossil of a small part of a plant
Cite this entry
APA

mesofossil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mesofossil

MLA

“mesofossil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mesofossil. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mesofossil,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mesofossil.

Source: mesofossil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.