vestigial

adjective

ves·​ti·​gial ve-ˈsti-jē-əl 

-jəl

1

of a body part or organ : remaining in a form that is small or imperfectly developed and not able to function : being or having the form of a vestige (see vestige sense 2)

a vestigial tail

Kiwis lack an external tail, and their vestigial wings are entirely hidden beneath a curious plumage—shaggy, more like fur than feathers …

—Stephen Jay Gould

2

: remaining as the last small part of something that existed before

It's held in the Gold Room, a vestigial ballroom of the kind that every downtown hotel uses for banquets and conventions.

—William Zinsser

Later colonial laws … prohibited even speaking the Pequot language, now long dead but for a few vestigial words.

—Kirk Johnson

vestigially

ve-ˈsti-jē-ə-lē 

-jə-lē

adverb

Examples of vestigial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For the show, Charli opted for a departure from her usual fashion show looks, switching up her go-to denim and furs for a black button-down halter shirtdress with vestigial sleeves, worn with suede pantaboots and, of course, her beloved impenetrable black sunglasses. —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 26 June 2024

Maybe Booth is right and parthenogenesis is just a vestigial relic. —Byrd Pinkerton, Vox, 12 June 2024

Parthenogenesis as a vestigial tailbone Much like Christine Dudgeon, Warren Booth also stumbled into parthenogenesis by accident. —Byrd Pinkerton, Vox, 12 June 2024

In humans, vestigial organs include wisdom teeth and the appendix. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin vestigium + English -al entry 1

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

vestigial

adjective

ves·​tig·​ial ve-ˈstij-(ē-)əl 

: of, relating to, or being a vestige

a vestigial structure

vestigially

-ē 

adverb