reliquary
noun
rel·i·quary
ˈre-lə-ˌkwer-ē 
plural reliquaries
: a container or shrine in which sacred relics are kept
Examples of reliquary in a Sentence
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The early colonists were very much anti-idol worshippers and even modern Catholics, as Vice President Vance surely knows, have long been criticized by their Protestant counterparts for a love of statuary, reliquaries and other iconography that some have argued fall into idolatry.
—
Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
There, these functional artworks — from clerical vestments and altar cloths to lamps, reliquaries and vessels for the performance of the Mass — made distant European rulers present in the liturgical life of Christianity’s most sacred site.
—Sarah Kozlowski, Dallas Morning News, 21 Mar. 2026
Next door is the Al-Jazzar Mosque, where there's a reliquary containing a hair believed to be from the Prophet Muhammad.
—Michele Kelemen, NPR, 14 Jan. 2026
An emerald necklace and earrings from the matching set of Empress Marie-Louise were also reportedly snatched alongside a reliquary brooch, Empress Eugénie’s diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
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Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
There, these functional artworks — from clerical vestments and altar cloths to lamps, reliquaries and vessels for the performance of the Mass — made distant European rulers present in the liturgical life of Christianity’s most sacred site.
—Sarah Kozlowski, Dallas Morning News, 21 Mar. 2026
Next door is the Al-Jazzar Mosque, where there's a reliquary containing a hair believed to be from the Prophet Muhammad.
—Michele Kelemen, NPR, 14 Jan. 2026
An emerald necklace and earrings from the matching set of Empress Marie-Louise were also reportedly snatched alongside a reliquary brooch, Empress Eugénie’s diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reliquary
Cite this Entry
“Reliquary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reliquary. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reliquary
noun
rel·i·quary
ˈrel-ə-ˌkwer-ē
plural reliquaries
: a small box or shrine in which sacred relics are kept
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