French word

vestige

Pronunciation

IPA/vɛstiʒ/

Meaning

  • masculine nountrace

Example

On n'a trouvé aucun vestige sur le site.

No trace was found at the site.

Illustration for vestige (trace)

More examples

Lors des fouilles, ils ont trouvé des vestiges archéologiques du village.

During the excavations, they found archaeological remains of the village.

Core concept

A small material remainder carrying evidence of an earlier presence.

Common phrases

  • trouver des vestiges

    find remains

  • des vestiges archéologiques

    archaeological remains

Similar words

trace: A visible indication of something that occurred or was present.
reste: What remains of something after part has been removed, used, or destroyed.
empreinte: A distinct shape or mark left on a surface by contact with a person or object.
marque: A visible sign left by an event, object, or person.

Definition in French

Reste ou trace matérielle d'une chose, d'un lieu ou d'une époque passée, témoin d'une présence antérieure.

Word origin

Inherited through Old French, vestige derives from Latin vestigium and retains the older link between a trace left behind and something surviving from the past.

Usage tips

  • Vestige has a formal or literary tone, while trace or reste is often more natural in everyday French.

Other meanings

  • remnantnoun
  • relicnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word