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relic

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Relic
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rel⋅ic

  [rel-ik]
Use relic in a Sentence
–noun
1. a surviving memorial of something past.
2. an object having interest by reason of its age or its association with the past: a museum of historic relics.
3. a surviving trace of something: a custom that is a relic of paganism.
4. relics,
a. remaining parts or fragments.
b. the remains of a deceased person.
5. something kept in remembrance; souvenir; memento.
6. Ecclesiastical. (esp. 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.
7. a once widespread linguistic form that survives in a limited area but is otherwise obsolete.
Origin:
1175–1225; ME < OF relique < L reliquiae (pl.) remains (> OE reliquias), equiv. to reliqu(us) remaining + -iae pl. n. suffix

Related forms:
rel⋅ic⋅like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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rel·ic   (rěl'ĭk)   
n.  

  1. Something that has survived the passage of time, especially an object or custom whose original culture has disappeared: "Corporal punishment was a relic of barbarism" (Cyril Connolly).

  2. Something cherished for its age or historic interest.

  3. An object kept for its association with the past; a memento.

  4. An object of religious veneration, especially a piece of the body or a personal item of a saint.

  5. or relics A corpse; remains.


[Middle English relik, object of religious veneration, from Old French relique, from Late Latin reliquiae, sacred relics, from Latin, remains, from reliquus, remaining, from relinquere, relīqu-, to leave behind; see relinquish.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

relic 
c.1225, "body part or other object from a holy person," from O.Fr. relique (11c.), from L.L. reliquiæ (pl.) "remains of a martyr," from L., "remains, remnants," noun use of fem. pl. of reliquus "remaining, that which remains," from re- "back" + root of linquere "to leave" (see relinquish). Sense of "remains, ruins" is from c.1325. Old English used reliquias, directly from Latin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

relic

in religion, strictly, the mortal remains of a saint; in the broad sense, the term also includes any object that has been in contact with the saint. Among the major religions, Christianity, almost exclusively in Roman Catholicism, and Buddhism have emphasized the veneration of relics.

Learn more about relic with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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