A phrase preserves a wordSourced
Not region-specific · English meaning
Old words can survive inside familiar expressions
A fossil word is broadly obsolete in ordinary use but remains within an idiom or set phrase. English kith in kith and kin is an example. A word can become uncommon on its own while a familiar combination continues to provide a place for it.
The phrase keeps a small piece of older vocabulary in use.
Summary / translation: Unbubly · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Fossil word · Wikimedia contributors
Adapted, summarized and translated from the source. Adapted text is also available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Reviewed: 2026-10-05