relic area
noun Linguistics.
(in dialect geography) an area isolated from the influences of any focal area and preserving older linguistic forms that have been lost in other regions.
Nearby words
reliability, reliable, reliance, reliant, relic, relic area, relict, relief, relief map, relief pitcher, relief valve
Compare focal area, transition area.
Origin of relic area
First recorded in 1950–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019