remnant

American  

[rem-nuhnt] / ˈrɛm nənt /

noun

1. a remaining, usually small part, quantity, number, or the like.

   Synonyms:

   remains, rest, residuum, residue, remainder

2. a fragment or scrap.

3. a small, unsold or unused piece of cloth, lace, etc., as at the end of a bolt.

4. a trace; vestige.

   remnants of former greatness.

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adjective

1. remaining; leftover.

remnant British  

/ ˈrɛmnənt /

noun

1. (often plural) a part left over after use, processing, etc

2. a surviving trace or vestige, as of a former era

   a remnant of imperialism

3. a piece of material from the end of a roll, sold at a lower price

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adjective

1. remaining; left over

Other Word Forms

• remnantal adjective

Etymology

Origin of remnant

1300–50; Middle English remna ( u ) nt, contraction of remenant < Old French, present participle of remenoir to remain

Example Sentences

Yet with the final remnant of muscular control in his right thumb, he spelled out letters at an adapted typewriter beside Edith.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

The arrangement resembles an "acquihire" – a practice increasingly common in Silicon Valley where larger tech companies poach key staff from smaller firms, leaving a small remnant of the company behind.

From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025

But she is left with anxiety — a remnant of the fire for which no one has offered her help — and a sense of dislocation and discontent.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025

While these remnant patches are important and need protecting, our historical findings should urge us to be more ambitious in restoring the seafloor.

From Salon • Jan. 6, 2025

They were the remnant of the guard that was kept at that point where the way from Anórien and Rohan ran into the townlands.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Related Words

• bit
• fragment
• particle
• piece
• remains
• residue
• shred
• vestige