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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

relic.

That which remains; that which is left after loss or decay; a remaining portion.

5 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈɹɛlɪk/

  1. That which remains; that which is left after loss or decay; a remaining portion.

  2. Something old and outdated, possibly kept for sentimental reasons.

  3. A part of the body of a saint, or an ancient religious object, kept for veneration.

  4. A particle or entity that has existed since the Big Bang.

Where this word comes from

From Middle English relik et al., from Old French relique, from Latin reliquiae (“remains, relics”), from relinquō (“to leave behind, abandon, relinquish”), from re- + linquō (“to leave, quit, forsake, depart from”). Doublet of relict, derelict, and relinquish.

verb/ˈɹɛlɪk/

  1. To cause (an object) to appear old or worn, to distress.

    often · transitive · uncommon
Where this word comes from

From Middle English relik et al., from Old French relique, from Latin reliquiae (“remains, relics”), from relinquō (“to leave behind, abandon, relinquish”), from re- + linquō (“to leave, quit, forsake, depart from”). Doublet of relict, derelict, and relinquish.

adj/ˈɹɛlɪk/

  1. Pertaining to the Big Bang.

    not-comparable
Where this word comes from

From Middle English relik et al., from Old French relique, from Latin reliquiae (“remains, relics”), from relinquō (“to leave behind, abandon, relinquish”), from re- + linquō (“to leave, quit, forsake, depart from”). Doublet of relict, derelict, and relinquish.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.