relic
Americannoun
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relics
plural
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a surviving memorial of something past.
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an object having interest by reason of its age or its association with the past.
a museum of historic relics.
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a surviving trace of something.
a custom that is a relic of paganism.
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relics,
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remaining parts or fragments.
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the remains of a deceased person.
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something kept in remembrance; souvenir; memento.
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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.
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a once widespread linguistic form that survives in a limited area but is otherwise obsolete.
noun
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something that has survived from the past, such as an object or custom
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something kept as a remembrance or treasured for its past associations; keepsake
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(usually plural) a remaining part or fragment
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RC Church Eastern Churches part of the body of a saint or something supposedly used by or associated with a saint, venerated as holy
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informal an old or old-fashioned person or thing
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archaic (plural) the remains of a dead person; corpse
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ecology a less common term for relict
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of relic
1175–1225; Middle English < Old French relique < Latin reliquiae (plural) remains (> Old English reliquias ), equivalent to reliqu ( us ) remaining + -iae plural noun suffix
Explanation
A relic is a fragment from the past — one of Elvis's guitars, an ancient piece of pottery or even an outmoded way of thinking -– that remains behind. Your dad might love his old albums, but to you, they're just relics. The noun relic is derived from relinquere, Latin for "to leave behind." A crumbling Roman wall is a relic of a once-great civilization. The superstition that seven years of bad luck will follow if you break a mirror may be a relic of the old superstition that a mirror can trap the souls of those reflected in it. Whether it's an object or an idea, a relic is a remnant of the past. Religious relics are items, such as Buddha’s tooth or St. Anne’s wrist bone, that have been preserved and venerated.
Vocabulary lists containing relic
Musty Dusty Words for National Old Stuff Day
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Ancient Wisdom: Synonyms for "Old"
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They Both Die at the End
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
How great if this type of four-quadrant filmmaking didn’t have to cosplay as a begotten relic — if it could take courage from these dinosaurs and thrive in our modern times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Those relic black holes could provide a possible explanation for dark matter.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
“I see myself as a bit of a relic of Greater Chinese nationalism in Taiwan,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Buoyed in part by mozzarella-stick-seeking Gen Zers, Chili’s has transformed from a ’90s relic to the hottest restaurant chain in the country.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
“I have never had the opportunity to speak with one of you. A relic, that is,” she says.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Inside, the walls are still covered with his guitars, posters, photographs and other relics from his favorite artists: Aerosmith, Rush, Bowie, Jane’s Addiction and Soundgarden.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
If so, these relics could still affect how galaxies are structured billions of years later.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Holy relics employed in the proceedings line one wall, another features a one-way mirror that allows family members and novice exorcists to observe.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
The most important scene in the tapestry, according to Dr Musgrove, shows Harold reaching both arms out to touch two boxes of holy relics while making an oath.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Following closely behind them perhaps there would have strode a professional pilgrim, supporting himself on a stout knobbed staff shod like an alpenstock and weighed down with blessed medals, relics, shells, vernicles and so forth.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
