remnant

American  

[rem-nuhnt] / ˈrɛm nənt /

noun

1. a remaining, usually small part, quantity, number, or the like.

   Synonyms:

   remains, rest, residuum, residue, remainder

2. a fragment or scrap.

3. a small, unsold or unused piece of cloth, lace, etc., as at the end of a bolt.

4. a trace; vestige.

   remnants of former greatness.

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adjective

1. remaining; leftover.

remnant British  

/ ˈrɛmnənt /

noun

1. (often plural) a part left over after use, processing, etc

2. a surviving trace or vestige, as of a former era

   a remnant of imperialism

3. a piece of material from the end of a roll, sold at a lower price

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adjective

1. remaining; left over

Other Word Forms

• remnantal adjective

Etymology

Origin of remnant

1300–50; Middle English remna ( u ) nt, contraction of remenant < Old French, present participle of remenoir to remain

Example Sentences

Since the defeat of IS in Syria in 2019, this area has been a holding ground for the remnants of the group's so-called "caliphate".

From BBC

Ms. Mantovanini's research focuses on supernova remnants, the expanding clouds of gas and energy created when a star explodes at the end of its life.

From Science Daily

Those concepts interlace in his ossuary, enlivened when he plays his tenderly kept records, remnants of human joy all but lost to a Rage pestilence.

From Salon

The garden is still filled with the remnants of war: a Soviet fighter jet, helicopters, tanks, pieces of heavy artillery and military vehicles.

From Barron's

But remnants of the group have been attempting to regroup.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bit
• fragment
• particle
• piece
• remains
• residue
• shred
• vestige