reliquary

American  

[rel-i-kwer-ee] / ˈrɛl ɪˌkwɛr i /

noun

plural

reliquaries

1. a repository or receptacle for relics.

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reliquary British  

/ ˈrɛlɪkwərɪ /

noun

1. a receptacle or repository for relics, esp relics of saints

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Etymology

Origin of reliquary

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

Example Sentences

This is an interesting car, with a strange, reliquary feel about it.

From The Wall Street Journal

The reliquary itself, held in the square’s church, was a series of exceedingly odd musical interactions between vocalists and the instruments in a combination of rap session and organized mystical service.

From Los Angeles Times

The crown, which has been kept at the Louvre Museum while the famed cathedral underwent extensive renovation, has been placed in a newly built reliquary to replace the one from 1806.

From BBC

There are 1,500 new wooden chairs for the congregation, and a new reliquary behind the choir to hold the Crown of Thorns.

From BBC

A fragment of that relic was returned in the 1930s to Brigidine Sisters elsewhere in Ireland and is stored in a small metal reliquary, shaped like an oak tree, an image associated with Brigid.

From Seattle Times