noun
relic
REH-lihk
noun
1
An object that has survived from an earlier time, often valued for its age or history.
"The museum displays relics from the Bronze Age."
"That old typewriter is a relic of my grandfather's newspaper days."
2
A part of the body of a saint, or another sacred object kept and honoured for religious reasons.
"Pilgrims travelled for weeks to see the relic housed in the cathedral."
How to Use Relic
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomething old that has survived from the past, whether a museum piece or a religious object.
Common pairings
ancient relic
relic of the past
sacred relic
Word Forms
reliced past tense, relicked past tense, relics plural, relics singular
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Etymology
From Old French relique, from Latin reliquiae, "remains," from relinquere, "to leave behind" — the same root as relinquish.