Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Relic
Rel′ic
(r?l′?k)
, Noun.
[Formerly written also
relique
.] 1.
That which remains; that which is left after loss or decay; a remaining portion; a remnant.
Chaucer. Wyclif.
The
relics
of lost innocence. Kebe.
The fragments, scraps, the bits and greasy
relics
. Shakespeare
2.
The body from which the soul has departed; a corpse; especially, the body, or some part of the body, of a deceased saint or martyr; – usually in the plural when referring to the whole body.
There are very few treasuries of
relics
in Italy that have not a tooth or a bone of this saint. Addison.
Thy
And sacred place by Dryden’s awful dust.
relics
, Rowe, to this fair urn we trust,And sacred place by Dryden’s awful dust.
Pope.
3.
Hence, a memorial; anything preserved in remembrance;
as,
. relics
of youthful days or friendshipsThe pearls were spilt;
Some lost, some stolen, some as
Some lost, some stolen, some as
relics
kept. Tennyson.
Webster 1828 Edition
Relic
REL'IC
,Noun.
1.
That which remains; that which is left after the loss or decay of the rest; as the relics of a town; the relics of magnificence; the relics of antiquity. The relics of saints, real or pretended, are held in great veneration by the catholics.2.
The body of a deceased person; a corpse. [Usually in the plural.]