relic

B2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈɹɛlɪk/ See IPA manual

Freq #12172

Meanings

1

noun
An old object or custom that has survived from the past.

The museum displays relics from ancient Rome.
2

noun
Something old and outdated that still remains, often kept for sentimental reasons.

That old phone is a relic from the 1990s.
3

noun
A part of a holy person's body or a sacred object kept and honoured for religious reasons.

Pilgrims travelled far to see the saint's relics.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · something old and outdated... remnant leftover

Word family

Forms relicksrelics

Derived forms relicalreliclikerelicmonger

Related forms delict delinquent derelict relict relinquish reliquary

Etymology

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.

relik Middle English relique Old French reliquiae Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# relic

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈɹɛlɪk/
**Frequency rank:** 12172

## Meanings
1. An old object or custom that has survived from the past.
2. Something old and outdated that still remains, often kept for sentimental reasons.
3. A part of a holy person's body or a sacred object kept and honoured for religious reasons.

## Examples
- The museum displays relics from ancient Rome.
- That old phone is a relic from the 1990s.
- Pilgrims travelled far to see the saint's relics.

## Derived Forms
- relical
- reliclike
- relicmonger

## Related Forms
- delict
- delinquent
- derelict
- relict
- relinquish
- reliquary

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: relik
- Root: relique
- Root: reliquiae

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
Relic comes 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. Modern senses include an old object or custom that has survived from the past. and something old and outdated that still remains, often kept for sentimental reasons.. The wider word family includes derivatives such as relical, reliclike, and relicmonger and related forms such as delict, delinquent, derelict, and relict.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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