relict

American  

[rel-ikt] / ˈrɛl ɪkt /

noun

1. Ecology. a species or community living in an environment that has changed from that which is typical for it.

2. a remnant or survivor.

3. a widow.

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relict British  

/ ˈrɛlɪkt /

noun

1. ecology

   1. a group of animals or plants that exists as a remnant of a formerly widely distributed group in an environment different from that in which it originated

   2. ( as modifier )

      a relict fauna

2. geology

   1. a mountain, lake, glacier, etc, that is a remnant of a pre-existing formation after a destructive process has occurred

   2. a mineral that remains unaltered after metamorphism of the rock in which it occurs

3. an archaic word for widow

4. an archaic word for relic

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Etymology

Origin of relict

1525–35; < Medieval Latin relicta widow, noun use of feminine of Latin relictus, past participle of relinquere to relinquish

Example Sentences

In this context the "relict glacier" and the possible buried sheet of glacier ice around it, might be remnants of the latest glaciation episode affecting the Noctis volcano.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2024

Either the tiny relict population had winked out, or the original sightings had been in error.

From Washington Post • Oct. 1, 2021

"Its living flora, with the highest concentration of primitive, archaic and relict taxa known, is the closest modern-day counterpart for Gondwanan forests," says the UN body.

From BBC • Sep. 28, 2021

“Ecologically they are just a relict on the island. Moose are skyrocketing and we are seeing changes to the plant community.”

From Nature • Dec. 19, 2016

Those relict Negritos of Southeast Asia may be the last survivors of the source population from which New Guinea was colonized.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond