relic

noun

rel·​ic ˈre-lik 

1

a

: an object esteemed and venerated because of association with a saint or martyr

b

: souvenir, memento

2

relics plural : remains, corpse

3

: a survivor or remnant left after decay, disintegration, or disappearance

4

: a trace of some past or outmoded practice, custom, or belief

Synonyms

• artifact
• trace
• remnant
• vestige
• ghost
• reminder
• echo
• shadow

Examples of relic in a Sentence

a crude stone ax and other relics of the Neanderthals

in my grandparents' attic are many “groovy” relics from the 1960s

Recent Examples on the Web

Then hop over to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, which gets its name from the sacred relic on the temple grounds, the left canine of Buddha. —Elizabeth See, AFAR Media, 2 Oct. 2025

Significance The relics of Saint Therese traveled from France to be in the United States. —Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 1 Oct. 2025

A number of startups are actively pursuing ways to extract the most dangerous orbital objects—defunct rocket stages, dead satellites, space collision fragment clouds, and space-race relics. —IEEE Spectrum, 30 Sep. 2025

These relics may contain explosives like TNT, chemical remnants, and even nuclear material. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English relik, from Anglo-French relike, from Medieval Latin reliquia, from Late Latin reliquiae, plural, remains of a martyr, from Latin, remains, from relinquere to leave behind — more at relinquish

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing relic

• relic of the past

Rhymes for relic

• telic
• allelic
• angelic
• philatelic
• psychedelic

Kids Definition

relic

noun

rel·​ic ˈrel-ik 

1

: an object treated with great respect because of its connection with a saint or martyr

2

: something left behind after decay or disappearance

relics of ancient cities