reliquary

C2+ Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives

US /ˈrɛlɪˌkwɛri/ UK /ˈrɛlɪkwəri/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a container or shrine in which sacred relics are kept

The cathedral's gilded reliquary held the saint's finger bone.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a container or shrine in... shrine casket chest container coffer

Word family

Related forms relic relict reliquiae

Etymology

From Medieval Latin reliquiarium, from Latin reliquiae ('remains'), from relinquere ('to leave behind'), from re- ('back') + linquere ('to leave').

reliquiarium Latin reliquiae Latin relinquere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary

External links

# reliquary

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈrɛlɪˌkwɛri/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈrɛlɪkwəri/

## Meanings
1. a container or shrine in which sacred relics are kept

## Examples
- The cathedral's gilded reliquary held the saint's finger bone.

## Synonyms
- shrine
- casket
- chest
- container
- coffer

## Related Forms
- relic
- relict
- reliquiae

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: reliquiarium
- Root: reliquiae
- Root: relinquere

## Etymology
From Medieval Latin reliquiarium, from Latin reliquiae ('remains'), from relinquere ('to leave behind'), from re- ('back') + linquere ('to leave').

## AI Etymology
Reliquary comes from Medieval Latin reliquiarium, from Latin reliquiae ('remains'), from relinquere ('to leave behind'), from re- ('back') + linquere ('to leave'). The historical chain includes Latin reliquiarium, Latin reliquiae, and Latin relinquere. Older glosses in the chain include "remains", "to leave behind", "back", and "to leave", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, reliquary is best read as compound and borrowing, yielding an English noun shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a noun, with the sense "a container or shrine in which sacred relics are kept". related forms include relic, relict, and reliquiae. The result is an English noun whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- General Vocabulary

markdown