relict
A species, organism, or ecosystem that has survived from a previous age: one that was…Something that, or someone who, survives or remains or is left over after the loss of others; a relic.: A species, organism, or ecosystem that has survived from a previous age: one that was once widespread but is now found only in a few areas.
Meaning
4 sensesSomething that, or someone who, survives or remains or is left over after the loss of others; a relic.
(formal)A species, organism, or ecosystem that has survived from a previous age: one that was once widespread but is now found only in a few areas.
(formal)A structure or other feature that has survived from a previous age.
(formal)A survival of an archaic word, language or other form.
A small number of linguists believe that Cimbrian is not an Austro-Bavarian dialect but a relict of Lombardic.
(archaic, formal)The surviving member of a married couple after one or the other has died; a widow or widower.
- geological feature that is a remnant of a pre-existing formation after other parts have disappeared
- an organism or species surviving as a remnant of an otherwise extinct flora or fauna in an environment much changed from that in which it originated
Translations
2 languagesOrigin
Inherited from Middle English relicte (“widow”), from Middle French relicte (“widow”), froInherited from Middle English relicte (“widow”), from Middle French relicte (“widow”), from Late Latin relicta (“widow”), from Latin relictus, past participle of relinquō (“to abandon, to relinquish, to leave (behind)”), from re- + linquō (“to leave, quit, forsake, depart from”). Doublet of relic, derelict, and relinquish.
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