reliquary

[ rel-i-kwer-ee ]

/ ˈrɛl ɪˌkwɛr i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR reliquary ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural rel·i·quar·ies.

a repository or receptacle for relics.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

religious house, religious order, religious right, religiously, relinquish, reliquary, relique, reliquiae, relish, relive, relleno

Origin of reliquary

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for reliquary

Every January 1, the priest would lead a procession with the relic and its 18th-century reliquary.
Happy Holy Circumcision Day!|David Farley|December 31, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Father Thomas Michelet, having accompanied the reliquary from Sainte-Baume to New York, was surprised by the turnout.
Mary Magdalene and Me|Tracy Quan|November 10, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Every Breton churchyard worthy of the name has its reliquary or bone-house.
Legends & Romances of Brittany|Lewis Spence
"Don Louis still has your reliquary," he muttered in so low a voice that she guessed the words rather than heard them.
The Gold-Seekers|Gustave Aimard

The acorn was a sort of reliquary in which the miraculous power of the idea was somehow enshrined.
Three Philosophical Poets|George Santayana
Some portion of this miraculous blood was preserved in a phial, which was set in a reliquary and placed upon the altar.
Tyrol and its People|Clive Holland
The sacred bones, found by King René, were enclosed in a reliquary, which has never ceased to perform miracles.
King of Camargue|Jean Aicard

British Dictionary definitions for reliquary

reliquary

/ (ˈrɛlɪkwərɪ) /

noun plural -quaries

a receptacle or repository for relics, esp relics of saints

Word Origin for reliquary

C17: from Old French reliquaire, from relique relic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for reliquary

reliquary

"receptacle for keeping relics," 1650s, from French reliquaire (14c.), from relique (see relic).