Category:Relic

Rel"ic (rl"k), n. Etym: [f. relique, from l. reliquiae, pl., akin to Relinquere to leave behind. See relinquish.] [formerly written also Relique.]

1. That which remains; that which is left after loss or decay; a Remaining portion; a remnant. Chaucer. Wyclif. The relics of lost innocence. Kebe. The fragments, scraps, the bits and greasy relics. Shak.

2. The body from which the soul has departed; a corpse; especially, The body, or some part of the body, of a deceased saint or martyr; -- Usually in the plural when referring to the whole body. There are very few treasuries of relics in italy that have not a Tooth or a bone of this saint. Addison. Thy relics, rowe, to this fair urn we trust, and sacred place by Dryden's awful dust. Pope.

3. Hence, a memorial; anything preserved in remembrance; as, relics Of youthful days or friendships. The pearis were split; some lost, some stolen, some as relics kept. Tennyson.