reliquary

[rel-i-kwer-ee]

noun

plural

reliquaries 

1. a repository or receptacle for relics.

reliquary

/ ˈrɛlɪkwərɪ /

noun

1. a receptacle or repository for relics, esp relics of saints

Word History and Origins

Origin of reliquary¹

1650–60; < Middle French reliquaire < Medieval Latin reliquiārium, equivalent to Latin reliqui ( ae ) remains ( relic ) + -ārium -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of reliquary¹

C17: from Old French reliquaire , from relique _relic

Example Sentences

The reliquary itself, held in the square’s church, was a series of exceedingly odd musical interactions between vocalists and the instruments in a combination of rap session and organized mystical service.

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The crown, which has been kept at the Louvre Museum while the famed cathedral underwent extensive renovation, has been placed in a newly built reliquary to replace the one from 1806.

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There are 1,500 new wooden chairs for the congregation, and a new reliquary behind the choir to hold the Crown of Thorns.

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A fragment of that relic was returned in the 1930s to Brigidine Sisters elsewhere in Ireland and is stored in a small metal reliquary, shaped like an oak tree, an image associated with Brigid.

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After the announcement of the beatification, a painting of the family was unveiled and a reliquary containing their remains was brought to the centre of the stage.

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