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Webster 1913 Edition


Relic

Rel′ic

(r?l′?k)
,
Noun.
[F.
relique
, from L.
reliquiae
, pl., akin to
relinquere
to leave behind. See
Relinquish
.]
[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
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 friendships
.
The pearls were spilt;
Some lost, some stolen, some as
relics
kept.
Tennyson.

Webster 1828 Edition


Relic

REL'IC

,
Noun.
[L. reliquiae, from relinquo, to leave; re and linquo.]
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.]

Definition 2024


relic

relic

English

A Christian relic (a bone of a saint)

Alternative forms

Noun

relic (plural relics)

  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 Something old and outdated, possibly kept for sentimental reasons.
    • 1991, U.S. News & World Report (volume 116, issues 9-16, page 72)
      Published in 1982, the now out-of-print computer guide is a real relic, full of dozens of black-and-white pictures of large, bulky computers that you would sooner find in the Smithsonian than on anybody's desk today.
  3. (religion) A part of the body of a saint, or an ancient religious object, kept for veneration.

Usage notes

By comparison with synonyms, relic emphasizes age, and to some degree value – a “relic of a lost civilization”.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations


Old Irish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈr͈ʲelʲiɡʲ/

Verb

·relic

  1. third-person singular perfect prototonic of léicid

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Nasalization
·relic
also ·rrelic
·relic
pronounced with /-r(ʲ)-/
·relic
also ·rrelic
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.