FOSSIL (fos il) [L fossilis–to dig]
n. 1: Orig. any rock, mineral, or other object dug out of the earth. 2: Now, any impression, or trace, of animal or plant of past geological ages, which has been preserved in the earth’s crust. The term includes footprints or tracks.

PALEONTOLOGY (pa le an tal e je) [G palios– ancient + enta– existing things + logos– word or discourse]
n. a science dealing with the life of past geologic periods esp. as known from fossil remains– pa le on tol o gist
n. a specialist in paleontology