ta·phon·o·my
(tə-fŏn′ə-mē)n.1. The study of the events and processes, such as burial in sediment, transportation, and decomposition, that affect the remains of an organism after it dies.
2. These events and processes, especially those leading up to preservation or fossilization.
[Greek
taphē,
grave +
-nomy.]
taph′o·nom′ic (tăf′ə-nŏm′ĭk) adj.
ta·phon′o·mist n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
taphonomy
(təˈfɒnəmɪ) n (Palaeontology) the study of the processes affecting an organism after death that result in its fossilization
[C20: from Greek taphos grave + -nomy]
taphonomic, ˌtaphoˈnomical adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ta•phon•o•my
(təˈfɒn ə mi)
n. 1. the circumstances and processes of fossilization.
2. the study of the environmental conditions affecting fossilization.
[1965–70; < Greek
táph(ē) grave +
-o- +
-nomy]
taph•o•nom•ic (ˌtæf əˈnɒm ɪk) adj.
ta•phon′o•mist, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.