Relic
noun /ˈrel.ɪk/ — An object from the past that has survived
Definition
A surviving trace of something from the past — an object, building, or practice that persists from an earlier time. In religious contexts, the physical remains of a saint.
Beyond the definition
The object that carries time. A relic makes the past visible and tangible — you can hold it and feel what it has outlasted.
Origin & history
From Latin 'reliquiae' (remains, relics) — from 'relinquere' (to leave behind). What is left behind when everything else has gone.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The watch was a relic of his grandfather's — it no longer kept time, but that wasn't its purpose.
Some practices persist as relics long after the logic that produced them has disappeared.
The church's most prized relic was a fragment of what was believed to be the True Cross.
Synonyms
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Worn Traces of the Past
An archaeologist studies a desk of ancient objects, including a worn spiral seal, a geometric tablet, and a clay pot, under candlelight.
A relic is a surviving trace of something from the past. The seal, tablet, and pot on the archaeologist's desk are literal relics; they are remnants that have persisted through time, carrying the traces of an earlier civilization and serving as physical windows into a world that no longer exists in its entirety.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration