WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Rel"ic (rl"k)
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [F. relique, from L. reliquiae, pl., akin to relinquere to leave behind. See Relinquish.] [Formerly written also relique.]
Definition : 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.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913