vestige

noun

ves·​tige ˈve-stij How to pronounce vestige (audio)
1
a(1)
: a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something (such as an ancient city or a condition or practice) vanished or lost
(2)
: the smallest quantity or trace
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

Did you know?

Though English is categorized as a Germanic language, there’s no denying the enormousness of Latin’s footprint on its lexicon. Among English’s plethora of Latin derivatives is vestige, a word that traces back to the Latin noun vestigium, meaning "footstep, footprint, or track." Like its forebear, vestige refers to a perceptible sign made by something that has passed, or to a tangible reminder, such as a fragment or remnant, of what is past and gone. Vestige also happens to be one of only a few vestiges of vestigium itself, along with the adjective vestigial ("remaining as the last part of something that existed before") and the familiar verb investigate.

Choose the Right Synonym for vestige

trace, vestige, track mean a perceptible sign made by something that has passed.

trace may suggest any line, mark, or discernible effect.

the killer left no traces

vestige applies to a tangible reminder such as a fragment or remnant of what is past and gone.

boulders that are vestiges of the last ice age

track implies a continuous line that can be followed.

the fossilized tracks of dinosaurs

Examples of vestige in a Sentence

a few strange words carved on a tree were the only vestige of the lost colony of Roanoke the fossilized vestige of a dinosaur that traversed that muddy landscape millions of years ago
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Sale was the second-to-last remaining 2018 champion, and Devers was the last vestige of glory. Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 20 June 2025 In 1905, as the vestiges of Victorian England gave way to an uncharted future, friends convened in a home in the Bloomsbury district of London to discuss art, philosophy, literature, politics, and love. Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 14 May 2025 Many of these spots are decades in the making, vestiges of another time, insistent on bringing history into the present day; all represent a sense of community that wouldn’t exist without them. Shauna Lyon, New Yorker, 9 May 2025 With Gerrit Cole out for the year, one of baseball’s most hallowed stats — The Win — has never felt more like a vestige of the olden days, kind of like VHS machines, the BlackBerry and the land line. Jayson Stark, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for vestige

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler
The first known use of vestige was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Vestige.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vestige. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

vestige

noun
ves·​tige ˈves-tij How to pronounce vestige (audio)
1
a
: a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something (as an ancient city or a condition or practice) vanished or lost
vestiges of lost civilizations
b
: the smallest quantity or trace
not a vestige of regret
2
: a small and imperfectly developed bodily part or organ that is the remains of one that was more fully developed in an earlier stage of the individual, in a past generation, or in a closely related form
vestigial adjective
Etymology

from French vestige "sign of something vanished or lost," from Latin vestigium "footprint" — related to investigate

Medical Definition

vestige

noun
ves·​tige ˈves-tij How to pronounce vestige (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on vestige

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