Main Entry: ves·tige

Pronunciation: \ˈves-tij\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin vestigium footstep, footprint, track, vestige

Date: 15th century

1 a (1) : a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something (as an ancient city or a condition or practice) vanished or lost (2) : the smallest quantity or trace b : footprint 1
2 : a bodily part or organ that is small and degenerate or imperfectly developed in comparison to one more fully developed in an earlier stage of the individual, in a past generation, or in closely related forms

synonyms see trace

— ves·ti·gial \ve-ˈsti-jē-əl, -jəl\ adjective

— ves·ti·gial·ly adverb