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relic

[rel-ik]

Example Sentences Origin

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noun

a surviving memorial of something past.

an object having interest by reason of its age or its association with the past: a museum of historic relics.

a surviving trace of something: a custom that is a relic of paganism.

relics,

remaining parts or fragments.

the remains of a deceased person.

something kept in remembrance; souvenir; memento.

EXPAND

Ecclesiastical. (especially 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.

a once widespread linguistic form that survives in a limited area but is otherwise obsolete.

COLLAPSE

Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English < Old French relique < Latin reliquiae (plural) remains (> Old English reliquias), equivalent to reliqu(us) remaining + -iae plural noun suffix

Related forms

rel·ic·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To relic

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Relic is always a great word to know.

So is quincunx. Does it mean:

an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

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Example Sentences

But one relic that is seldom discussed is the religious segregation that persists on university campuses throughout the country.

The first priority should be to stop treating manufacturing as a relic of the industrial revolution.

However, neither the relic nor the mountain have yet to be discovered by the world.

EXPAND

But one relic that is seldom discussed is the religious segregation that persists on university campuses throughout the country.

The first priority should be to stop treating manufacturing as a relic of the industrial revolution.

However, neither the relic nor the mountain have yet to be discovered by the world.

It's definitely lamentable that the concept of high fidelity seems to be largely a lost relic.

Add a few fibs to the mix and the plague of polling and surveys might possibly become an electoral relic.

In addition to their mitochondria, plants have a second relic symbiont, the chloroplast.

However, the book appears to be in danger of becoming a relic.

For seven decades, they were a curiosity, a relic of a lighter-than-air future that never quite came true.

Barring a significant global economic slowdown, anything resembling sub-$50 oil seems sure to be a relic of the past.

So, it's time to ditch the retro relic and replace it with something from this century.

Today, that sentiment is scoffed at as an antediluvian relic of a simpler time.

Iowa's position in primaries and caucuses is a disgusting relic.

Though traces of their lives are mostly buried or lost, one prominent relic was.

Glittering pipelines crossing the whole area reveal that the place is not merely a relic of the past.

If not quite a spoil of war, the manuscript is a relic of some publishing.

Note that this step is optional and a relic of the gold standard, the government could theoretically spend without issuing debt.

On one hand, removing a relic from its historical surroundings destroys its archaeological value.

Glittering pipelines crossing the whole area suggest that the place is not merely a relic of the past.

But the stain is a relic of mythic dimensions, and.

Early decision should be the next relic in college admissions to be scrutinized and ultimtaely abolished.

What's especially interesting about the text is that it isn't some mysterious relic manuscript left behind by a medieval madman:.

The iron, that relic of households past, is no longer required to look neat and freshly pressed.

The comment on the nails upthread was probably rightly interpreted as coming from a relic of a past era.

The gold standard is a relic of a different ageit's time to move on.

Read on for a look inside this aging relic and the ambitious program that spawned.

Though they resemble a relic from a forgotten time, wooden water tanks remain a fixture of the cityscape.

Or, perhaps free chequeing will become a relic of the past.

By the time the flames were extinguished the rickety relic was heavily damaged.

Some researchers suggested that the rivers were a relic of a bygone era, or carved by things other than rain.

These engineers see the telecom industry as one more relic that will be overturned by the march of digital computing.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

relic (ˈrɛlɪk)

—n
1.	something that has survived from the past, such as an object or custom
2.	something kept as a remembrance or treasured for its past associations; keepsake
3.	(usually plural) a remaining part or fragment
4.	RC Church, Eastern Churches part of the body of a saint or something supposedly used by or associated with a saint, venerated as holy
5.	informal an old or old-fashioned person or thing
6.	archaic (plural) the remains of a dead person; corpse
7.	ecology a less common term for relict

[C13: from Old French relique, from Latin reliquiae remains, from relinquere to leave behind, relinquish]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

relic

early 13c., "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

EXPAND

relinquish). Sense of "remains, ruins" is from early 14c. Old English used reliquias, directly from Latin.

COLLAPSE

Encyclopedia Britannica

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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Matching Quote

"Any relic of the dead is precious, if they were valued living."

-Emily Brontë

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