French word

relique

Pronunciation

IPA/ʁəlik/

Meaning

  • feminine nounrelic

Example

C'est une relique ancienne.

It is an ancient relic.

Illustration for relique (relic)

More examples

Cette vieille relique a été transmise dans la famille.

This old relic has been passed down in the family.

Core concept

An old surviving object carried forward as a tangible trace of a vanished world.

Common phrases

  • une vieille relique

    an old relic

Similar words

objet: A tangible thing of any kind.
souvenir: A small keepsake preserved to evoke a memory.
trace: A mark or remnant left by a past event or presence.
antiquité: An object surviving from a very ancient period.

Definition in French

Vestige matériel provenant d'une époque ancienne, souvent trouvé ou conservé comme témoin du passé; emploi figuré pour une survivance historique.

Word origin

The noun derives from Latin reliquiae through Old French relique; its earlier religious sense helped establish the meaning of a sacred relic before broader use developed.

Usage tips

  • In figurative French, une relique du passé can describe an institution, habit, or object that survives from an earlier period.

Other meanings

  • remnantnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word