relic

[ rel-ik ]

noun

1. a surviving memorial of something past.
2. an object having interest by reason of its age or its association with the past:

   a museum of historic relics.

3. a surviving trace of something:

   a custom that is a relic of paganism.

4. relics,
   1. remaining parts or fragments.
   2. the remains of a deceased person.
5. something kept in remembrance; souvenir; memento.
6. Ecclesiastical. (especially in the Roman Catholic and Greek churches) the body, a part of the body, or some personal memorial of a saint, martyr, or other sacred person, preserved as worthy of veneration.
7. a once widespread linguistic form that survives in a limited area but is otherwise obsolete.

relic

/ ˈrɛlɪk /

noun

1. something that has survived from the past, such as an object or custom
2. something kept as a remembrance or treasured for its past associations; keepsake
3. usually plural a remaining part or fragment
4. RC Church Eastern Churches part of the body of a saint or something supposedly used by or associated with a saint, venerated as holy
5. informal.
   an old or old-fashioned person or thing
6. archaic.
   plural the remains of a dead person; corpse
7. ecology a less common term for relict

Other Words From

• relic·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of relic¹

1175–1225; Middle English < Old French relique < Latin reliquiae (plural) remains (> Old English reliquias ), equivalent to reliqu ( us ) remaining + -iae plural noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of relic¹

C13: from Old French relique , from Latin reliquiae remains, from relinquere to leave behind, relinquish

Example Sentences

Under heavy grey skies and a thin coating of snow, hulking grey and green Cold War relics recall Ukraine’s Soviet past.

From BBC

“I started with was photographs, pictures from books of Welsh landscapes, natural landscapes, coastline, cliffs and photographs of industrial relics,” said Mr Adams.

From BBC

Thankfully what was saved made a much longer list - including all the stained-glass windows, most of the statuary and artwork, and the holy relic known as the Crown of Thorns.

From BBC

"Because this house has been passed through the generations I ended up finding a heap of relics," he recalled.

From BBC

Has veracity become one of those quaint relics of a bygone era, like straw boaters and torchlight parades?

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• antique
• antiquity
• artifact
• curio
• evidence
• fragment
• keepsake
• memento
• monument
• remains
• remnant
• souvenir