taphonomy

From Ancient Greek τάφος (táphos, “grave”) +‎ -nomy.

taphonomy (countable and uncountable, plural taphonomies)

1. The study of the fate of the remains of organisms after they die, especially the study of fossilization. [from 20th c.]
   • 2011, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature, Penguin 2012, p. 4:

     Some cases may have an innocent explanation based in taphonomy, the processes by which bodies are preserved over long spans of time.

• taphonomic
• taphonomist
• taphotype
• taphozone

• amphotony, haptonomy, monopathy