A Relic Is Literally What Is Left Behind
A relic is an object surviving from the past. In religion it means the physical remains of a saint.
A relic is an object that survives from an earlier time, or in religion the bodily remains of a saint. Latin *reliquiae* meant simply the remains, what is left after everything else is gone, from *relinquere*, to leave behind — the same verb behind *relinquish* and *derelict*. In the Middle Ages relics were so valuable that cathedrals were built around them and a trade in false ones flourished. Used of a person or custom, *relic* implies something outlived its time.
- A survival from the past. *A relic of empire.*
- A saint's remains. *A holy relic.*
- Reliquary — a container for relics. *A reliquary.*
- Relinquish — to leave behind. *Relinquish it.*
- Latin — *relinquere*, to leave. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | relic | A relic. |
| Plural | relics | Relics. |
| Container | reliquary | A reliquary. |
| Related | relinquish | Relinquish. |
| Latin | reliquiae | Remains. |
- The museum holds relics of the voyage.Objects.
- Pilgrims came to see the relic.Religion.
- The rule is a relic of another era.Figurative.
The relinquere family
- Relic — what remains after the rest is gone
- Relinquish — to leave behind, to give up
- Derelict — abandoned entirely
- Delinquent — one who has left duty behind
- Relict — a technical term for a surviving population or a widow
Old French *relique*, from Latin *reliquiae*, remains, from *relinquere*, to leave behind.
What is a reliquary?
A decorated container made to hold a relic, often of precious metal and displayed in a church.
Are relic and derelict related?
Yes. Both come from Latin relinquere, to leave behind; a derelict is something wholly abandoned.