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relicn. Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French relique. Etymology: < Anglo-Norman relike, reliqe, rilike, rilique, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French relique (French relique ) physical remains of, or articles associated with, a saint, martyr, etc. (c1100 in Old French; also in plural), (in plural) remains, remnants (a1389) < classical Latin reliquiae (plural) remains (see reliquiae n.). Compare Old Occitan reliquia (13th cent.), Catalan relíquia (1403), Spanish reliquia (10th cent.), Portuguese relíquia (13th cent.), Italian reliquia (1319). Compare relict n., which shows considerable semantic overlap; the sense development of the two words has probably shown considerable mutual influence. Compare also earlier reliquiae n., reliquies n.Compare also Old English relic , in sense 1a, which is attested only in the compound relic-gang (probably) the bearing of relics in procession, especially on Rogation Days, an instance of this ( < relic (probably shortened < reliquies n.) + gang n.):OE Old Eng. Martyrol. (Julius) 25 Apr. 63 On ðæm dæge [sc. Lętania Maiora] eall Godes folc mid eaðmodlice relicgonge sceal God biddan þæt he him forgefe ðone gear siblice tid.OE Old Eng. Martyrol. (Julius) 4 May 80 Ymb þas dagas utan, hwilum ær, hwilum æfter, beoð þa þry dagas on ðæm godes ciricum, ond Cristes folc mærsiað lętanias, þæt is þonne bene ond relicgongas [corrected to relicquiagongas by later scribe], foran to Cristes uppastignesse. Old English relic perhaps represents a fully naturalized colloquial shortening of the semi-naturalized learned loan reliquias reliquies n. (compare the later scribal emendation in quot. OE2); it is possible that the Middle English word may partly be the reflex of this, reinforced by subsequent borrowing of the Anglo-Norman and Old French word. In ε. forms perhaps influenced by relict n. 1. society > faith > artefacts > portable shrines or relics > relic > [noun] the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > respect > reverence > quality of inspiring reverence > [noun] > object ?c1225 (?a1200) (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 18 To þe relikes luteð oðer cneoleð. c1300 Holy Cross (Laud) 567 in C. Horstmann (1887) 17 (MED) Þe bischop wuste þis holie blod ase relikes riche and guode. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 381 (MED) Þe chief of alle suche relikes is i-holde Iesus his staf. ?a1450 (1977) 35 (MED) Saynt Elyne..Fond þe holy crosse..And helden hit a relyc ful holy. c1480 (a1400) St. James Great 255 in W. M. Metcalfe (1896) I. 104 His printes..stal away þe body..and þai aryvyt with þat relik of spanȝe, in-to þe kynrik. 1490 W. Caxton tr. (1885) iii. 112 Bryng afore me your reliques and hallowes, that I shall swere [etc.]. 1511 (Pynson) f. vij Many Relyques, as the hed, & the Arme of seynt Blase whiche is there Patron. 1530 xxx. f. lxxixv Then shall he suspende the chyrche and take awaye the relykes. 1617 F. Moryson i. 175 The Friars keepe for a holy relike the Thorne wherewith Christ was crowned. 1619 M. Drayton Idea in (rev. ed.) 272 You..whose deare remembrance in my Bosome lyes, Too rich a Relique for so poore a Shrine. 1673 J. Ray 243 In this City are many..Churches..furnished with rich Altar-pieces, Reliques,..and other Ornaments. 1757 tr. J. G. Keyssler IV. 212 The only part wanting in their relique is the middle finger of the right hand. 1781 E. Gibbon III. xxviii. 96 The worship of saints and relics corrupted the pure and perfect simplicity of the Christian model. 1845 J. Lingard (ed. 3) II. xiv. 331 A supply of relics for the foundation of churches. 1850 A. Jameson 79 His copy of Ambrose,..covered with his blood, was exhibited..as a relic. 1872 15 May 6/3 On examining the relics in the church of St. Martino, I was shown a small sealed bottle, in which was enclosed some hair of the Madonna. 1968 N. Mosley 128 There are side-chapels with relics of the founder: his hair-shirt, his spiked belt, the lash with which he flogged himself. 1979 59 364 Pope Sergius..rediscovered a very important relic of the True Cross..in a dark and dusty corner of the sacristy at St. Peter's. 2000 E. Cameron in A. Hastings et al. 400/1 Late medieval western Catholicism leaned heavily on..sacramental penance, masses for the soul, the veneration of saints, and the cult of relics. society > faith > artefacts > implement (general) > [noun] the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > respect > reverence > quality of inspiring reverence > [noun] > object a1400 (c1303) R. Mannyng (Harl.) 4998 (MED) Yn þys ark were þre þynges..Moyses table..Aarons ȝerd, and a potte of golde; þese þre relykes þey helde ful holde. a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) i. l. 153 Thei hadde a relyk hight Palladion, That was hire tryst a bouen euerichon. c1475 (c1450) P. Idley (Cambr.) (1935) ii. B. 1437 (MED) In this arke were laied three thyngis; Gretter reliquis at that day were noon. 1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil xiii. x. 96 O happy cite..With quham sa gret rellykis remane sall. 1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil ii. 27 Yf this relliek by you to the cittye wer haled, Then, loa, the stout Troians in wars should glorye triumphing. 1606 G. W. tr. Justinus xxiv. 90 The Priests of all the Temples..with..the sacred reliques in their hands. 1734 J. Richardson & J. Richardson 518 This Ark was now a Relick, and what a magnificent Shrine was it Deposited in! 1788 tr. I. Mouradgea d'Ohsson 500 Besides these relicks which are relative to the Prophet, there are others... The chief of them are, a prayer-carpet, Sedjéadé, of the Kaliph Ebu-Bekir, [etc.]. 1887 J. M'Clintock & J. Strong Suppl. II. 222/2 The left canine tooth of Buddha, the most celebrated relic in the possession of his followers. 1908 10th Ser. 10 400/1 There is a collection of unique Jewish relics, including a Sepher case reputed to be years old. 1998 (Nexis) 21 Nov. (Travel section) 12 The Topkapi Palace [of Istanbul],..notable for the Topkapi dagger..and sacred relics of the Prophet Muhammad. the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > worth > [noun] > thing of worth a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer (Hunterian) (1891) l. 2907 It is thyng most amerous..To sene his lady by the morwe For it is a full noble thing Whanne thyne eyen haue metyng With that relike precious. a1439 J. Lydgate (Bodl. 263) iv. 3465 (MED) The ryng, the anker of gret excellence..Appollo..Sent hym thes reliques of synguler aqueyntaunce. a1475 (?a1350) (Harl.) (1927) 991 (MED) The kyng cheses precious stonys, Ryche relikis..Plente of siluer and of gold. c1500 (c1386) G. Chaucer (Trin. Cambr.) (1879) Prol. l. 321 What dos thow here So nygh myn owne flour..Hyt ys my relyke dygne And delytable And thow my foo. 1508 (Chepman & Myllar) sig. cii*v Armyt in rede gold and rubeis sa round With mony riche relikis riale to se. c1540 (?a1400) (2002) f. 188v Tho lordes..Shotton into ship mong shene knightes, With the tresowre of þe toune..Relikes full Rife & miche ranke godes. 1602 tr. G. Corrozet 123 William Rufus king of England..pilled the Churches and Monasteries of his Realme,..taking away their Chalices & other Reliques of gold and siluer, which he found in them. 1792 J. Bristow 45 I saw him return by day, not only undiscovered, but furnished with a dozen of the silver relicks which he had safely purloined. 1878 17 July 10/6 In 1874 I saw these relics in gold and silver, some jewelled and of considerable value. the mind > mental capacity > memory > reminder, putting in mind > [noun] > keepsake, souvenir 1611 W. Barksted sig. C6v And for my loues vnkindly Tragedy, A thousand Citties for her death shall mourne, And as a relicke to posterity, Our priests shall keep her ashes in their vrne. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) ii. ii. 89 Great men shall presse For Tinctures, Staines, Reliques, and Cognisance. View more context for this quotation 1664 in G. Miege (1669) 265 He blessed Prince..even as to this matter had prepared a Letter which I yet preserve among His other Reliques. 1719 D. Defoe 330 When I took leave of this Island, I carry'd on board for Reliques, the great Goat's-Skin-Cap I had made, my Umbrella, and my Parrot. 1751 S. Johnson No. 83. ⁋9 This regard, which we..pay to the meanest relique of a man great and illustrious. 1836 J. Murray 350/1 Luther's..apartment..contains his portrait, bible, and other relics. 1863 A. P. Stanley I. vii. 164 Two lesser objects of interest were laid up..in front of it, both relics of Sinai. 1880 July 84/1 A Relic of Her Majesty's Ship ‘Orpheus’. 1903 15 4 I recall the fact that I possessed..a battered pair of field glasses cherished until that moment as a relic of the Civil War. 1930 30 Apr. 13/2 The Nelson Collection at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, has recently been enriched by a further relic of the great Admiral. 1993 56 43 Since these descendants of Harriet seem to have kept tightly guarded every other relic associated with her and the poet, one can only speculate that the commonplace book also was in their possession. 2. the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > that which is left or remainder > [noun] > remains > after destructive agency > decayed remnant(s) c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring (1891) xxxvi. 40 (MED) Þe vnriȝtful, forsoþe, shul ben desparplist, and þe relikes [L. reliquiae] of þe wicked shul dien. a1382 (Bodl. 959) (1963) 2 Kings xxi. 2 Gabanytes ben not of þe sones of israel but þe relikes [a1425 L.V. relikys; v.r. leeuyngis; L. reliquiae] of Amoreis. a1400 Psalter (Vesp.) xxxvi. 39 in C. Horstmann (1896) II. 169 (MED) Þa ere relikes [L. reliquiae] to man þat paisful es, And vnrightwise samen forworth þai sal, And relikes ofe wicke sal sterue with-al. 1480 W. Caxton ci. 52 b The reliques of his body shall bene brought fro Rome, and translated in Britaigne. a1586 Sir P. Sidney (1593) i. sig. A3 That smoake was but a small relique of a great fire. a1599 E. Spenser View State Ireland 31 in J. Ware (1633) Whatsoever reliques there was left of the land-bred people. 1615 G. Sandys 194 An hundred paces farther..there are the relikes of a Church. 1642 H. Parker 40 They [sc. the Dutch]..being but the torn relique of a small Nation. 1656 J. Smith 271 The reliques of the Quick-silver will stick to the gold. 1712 A. Pope tr. Statius First Bk. Thebais in 41 Dust yet white upon each Altar lies; The Relicks of a former Sacrifice. 1774 T. Pennant 9 The priory..stood near the bridge, but not a relique exists. 1788 E. Gibbon III. xlix. 143 After a bloody conflict of eight years.., the relics of the nation submitted. 1817 Ld. Byron iii. iv. 68 I stood within the Coloseum's wall, 'Midst the chief relics of almighty Rome. 1834 Hogg Let. in 22–6 Feb. (1897) 42 He is..the only relic I know of the real intimate acquaintances of Burns. 1851 D. Wilson iii. vi. 455 It is only in this last period..that we..find the relics of the war-chariot among the contents of the tomb. 1907 16 Apr. 9/6 There are still four or five acres of garden ground, the last relic of a plot of 40 acres. 1991 S. Winchester (1992) 88 The shores are littered with the relics of stranded vessels. the world > food and drink > food > food otherwise characterized > [noun] > left-over food 1576 A. Fleming tr. Cicero in 75 We would haue had no fragments or broken scraps left. But now..wee haue sore a doo about those reliques. a1602 W. Perkins (1619) 327 Gather vp the broken meate..these reliques and fragments are part of the creatures. a1682 Sir T. Browne (1716) i. 5 Treat the poor, as our Saviour did the Multitude, to the reliques of some baskets. 1793 S. Burrell II. 56 The reliques of a sumptuous dinner Are tempting to a young beginner. 1797 W. Boscawen tr. Horace 200 Baskets stood piled up with meat, The reliques of a splendid treat. 1816 W. Scott I. ix. 192 His sister hastened to silence his murmurs, by proposing some of the reliques of the dinner. 1830 J. F. W. Herschel 2 His food [being] worms..varied with occasional relics, mangled by more powerful beasts of prey. 1917 May 575 Orange and banana peels, apple cores and other relics of the dinner pail and luncheon hour. the world > life > biology > taxonomy > taxon > [noun] > species or sub-species the world > life > biology > taxonomy > taxon > [noun] > species or sub-species > relict species 1873 6 6 Species No. 1 may be a relic left at spots A and B. 1947 R. F. Daubenmire x. 377 A species may suffer one or more catastrophes which destroy all but a fragment of the total population. The remnants are called relics, epibiotics, or depleted species. 1967 G. G. Simpson (rev. ed.) iv. 43 The Agnatha declined almost to extinction, and yet a few peculiar types survived as relics through the millions of years to the present time. 2002 M. Boulter vi. 169 Ancient plant lineages have relics like redwood and tree ferns which have dwindled to tiny vestiges of their former widespread glory. 3. the world > life > the body > dead body > [noun] a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (BL Add.) f. 168v Þere reste þe relikes of seint John Baptiste. a1400 (a1325) (Vesp.) 21215 (MED) Þei did sent andru relikes and him [sc. St Luke] Bring to constantinopolim. 1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine 237/2 I shalle ensigne the of eueriche by symylitude to knowe the tombes and reliques of eche of us. a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil (1957) v. ii. 11 Sen that the reliqueis [Sm. reliquies, Ruddim. reliquis] and bonys infeir Of my dyvyne fader we erdyt heir. 1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie (1888) I. 110 The reliques of S. Andro..quhilkes out of Grece he brocht. 1658 Sir T. Browne Ep. Ded. sig. A2 Men took a lasting adieu of their interred Friends,..having no old experience of the duration of their Reliques. 1691 A. Wood I. 156 How long he lived after that year, I cannot tell, nor where his reliques were lodg'd. 1718 M. Prior Solomon on Vanity iii, in (new ed.) 495 Say: shall our Relicks second Birth receive? 1725 A. Pope tr. Homer III. xiv. 156 He..welters on the wave, Or food for fish, or dogs, his reliques lye. 1775 J. Adair 183 They go along with those beloved relicks of the dead..till they arrive at the bone-house. 1813 P. B. Shelley vii. 94 All around The mouldering relics of my kindred lay. 1854 H. H. Milman I. iii. v. 381 The reliques of those martyrs whom the Romans burned with fire. 1927 A. Conan Doyle 296 We opened such a coffin... As to the old relics which we took out, we could not leave them on the floor of the crypt. 1938 30 Nov. 21/1 Many human remains were found in a condition that suggested hasty interment. It is possible that these were relics of the hanged rebels. 2002 (Nexis) 24 May Buried there are the relics of a Soviet soldier who died near the village of Krykovo. the world > life > the body > dead body > [noun] 1636 E. Pagitt (ed. 2) iii. 93 The taking up of the Relique of Editha thirteene yeare after her death. 1682 T. Ken 18 This poor relique of Clay, which in a few minutes must be restor'd to its native earth. 1814 J. West IV. 258 Those neglects to which this unsepulchred relic of his illustrious father bore a shameful testimony. 1928 21 Apr. 11/2 The preservation of the relic being due entirely to the chemical properties of the..soil in which the body had been interred. 4. society > communication > indication > marking > a mark > trace or vestige > [noun] c1475 tr. C. de Pisan (Cambr.) (1977) 173 (MED) A wyse man wolde take peyne to gete the leste fauour [read sauour; Fr. goute] of the reliques of wysedom. 1533 T. More iv. p. lvii Saynt Poule in hys pystle to ye Romayns, speketh of the pronytye and mocyons in the fleshe remaynynge, as the relyques of orygynall synne. a1586 Sir P. Sidney (1590) iii. ix. sig. Nn4v Doubting some reliques of the late mutinie. 1612 T. Taylor (i. 13) 267 An infirmitie is a rellike of sinne. 1678 R. Barclay iv. §2. 101 There were some Reliques of the Heavenly Image left in Adam. 1712 E. Budgell No. 365. ¶3 A Relique of a certain Pagan Worship. 1795 W. Paley (ed. 3) I. i. vii. 132 No reliques appear of any story substantially different from the present. 1824 W. Irving I. 349 It is a rich relique of a more poetical age. 1865 E. B. Tylor i. 2 A relic of a ruder mental condition. 1908 20 Jan. 9/3 The last battered relic of what was once a great and coherent policy. 1938 17 May 12/5 Our present law regarding suicide is a relic of the old ecclesiastical law. 1951 C. Hare viii. 90 Such things as titles and peerages are interesting relics of the past, no more. 2006 Dec. 16/1 Kissing under the mistletoe may be a relic of an ancient fertility rite. the world > time > relative time > the past > oldness or ancientness > [noun] > object from the past or antique 1605 M. Drayton sig. Ii3 A goodly table that was massie gold, A relique kept at Windsor many a day. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) iii. iii. 19 What's to do? Shall we go see the reliques of this Towne? View more context for this quotation 1632 W. Lithgow v. 208 My Interpreter shewed me..one of the doores of the Temple of Salomon,..being indeede a relicke of wonderfull bignesse. 1787 T. Jefferson (1859) II. 317 The good, old and venerable fabric, which should have been preserved even as a religious relique. 1841 W. Spalding I. 200 The crowds of reliques which..have reappeared to adorn the modern galleries. 1872 M. Collins II. ix. 109 It is a sleepy village..with many curious relics. 1933 28 488 Before every class, students old and new may be seen studying the Roman relics. 1998 B. Olsen 30 The trail is three miles long and contains some interesting relics from the old gold-mining days. society > communication > record > memorial or monument > [noun] the mind > mental capacity > memory > retrospection, reminiscence > [noun] > old memories > something preserved from past 1624 H. Wotton 51 [These arches] ought to bee..left to their first inuentors, the Gothes or Lumbards, amongst other Reliques of that barbarous Age. 1695 J. Woodward 35 Others..thought that they [sc. shells] were only Reliques of some former great Inundations of the Sea. 1812 Cowper's Yardley Oak (new ed.) in W. Hayley (new ed.) IV. 423 Hollow-trunk'd..and with excoriate forks deform, Relics [1804 Relicts] of ages. 1832 G. R. Porter 268 These curious relics of ancient times have also been discovered decorated with coloured glass beads. 1855 T. B. Macaulay IV. xx. 522 The swords were rusty reliques of Edge Hill and Marston Moor. 1871 E. A. Freeman IV. xviii. 212 Those great roads which abide as the noblest relics of the days of Roman dominion. 1923 Jan. 6/1 This relic of medieval Pisan rule is in an excellent state of preservation, with its coat of arms..and iron-bound portcullis. 1958 R. Liddell iii. ii. 243 A Gothic revival school building was a relic of the British protectorate. 2003 ‘A. Pendragon’ & C. J. Stone xvi. 221 The King's Stone brooded in a patch of forgotten ground, behind a wrought-iron fence, a relic of a bye-gone age. the world > people > person > old person > [noun] 1832 W. Scott Castle Dangerous in 4th Ser. III. 327 ‘Now hang thee,’ thought Fabian to himself, ‘for an old relic of the wars, stuffed full of conceit.’ 1869 ‘M. Twain’ in 21 Aug. 1/3 I came upon a noble Son of the Forest sitting under a tree, diligently at work on a bead reticule... I addressed the noble relic as follows. 1893 4 324 Who would you have advised as a proper man for the position?.. Not Zerrahn, because he is a ‘relic of the past’. 1904 E. F. Heddle i. 8 A dear old early Victorian governess, left over from the last century; a relic, like elastic-sided boots and side curls! 1975 D. Bagley xix. 135 Eric Peterson stoked up the old-fashioned pot-bellied stove..and commented, ‘I'm glad we didn't get rid of this relic.’ 1993 Oct. 90/2 He believed that women were good for nothing more than taking notes and making coffee. He was a relic. 2002 (Nexis) 13 Apr. a16 The [railway] tracks are lousy, the passenger cars are relics from the 1950s. the mind > language > [noun] > linguistic change > specific features or processes involved in 1835 Sept. 322 The termination ter or der is a relic of an ancient word denoting tree. 1881 2 56 The n is either a phonetic affix to prevent hiatus or a relic of the old accusative ending m. 1890 5 236/2 This word, the only relic in Middle English of the old medio-passive voice, should be fully explained. 1943 19 257 Nowhere..was there an indication of the genuine vitality of this set of suffixes, which, divested of any specific function, had become mere meaningless relics. 1951 26 252 The occurrences of clabbered milk in the northern counties of the state are probably explained as a sporadic relic. 1997 P. H. Matthews 29 Latin fertis ‘you are carrying’ is a relic of an athematic formation in Indo-European. 1526–7 in J. Imrie et al. (1960) 84 Jenot Huntar, the relyk of umquhill Thomas Trumbull. 1552–3 in J. S. Clouston (1914) 247 Me Helen Lesk, the relik of umquhile Thomas Flattay. 1672 in VI. 117 Releick of the deceist. 1689 in W. R. Scott (1905) 210 Orders that..make a finall end with Major Whyt's relick. 1701 in (1913) 6 199 Elspit Murrou, relick of the deceised Wm. Paull. 1881 22 84 His relic was a lady of like dignity and virtue, convinced (as all Barum people are) of the vast superiority of that town. 1906 ‘H. Foulis’ xviii. 130 John—that's the depairted, I'm his relic. the world > action or operation > behaviour > a standard of conduct > [noun] > a pattern or model of conduct > left by a person 1610 J. Boys Expos. Domin. Epist. in (1622) 133 Here then is a notable relique for women to behold. 1610 J. Boys Expos. Domin. Epist. in (1622) 555 This her relique is worth our obseruing also. Phrasesthe world > time > duration > [noun] > long duration or lasting through time > something that remains > reminder of bad times 1607 B. Jonson Ep. Ded. sig. ¶3 To see..those antique reliques of Barbarisme retriu'd, with all other ridiculous, and exploded follies. 1751 II. 72 I esteem it the characteristic of barbarous nations, and so far as it any where remains a relic of barbarism. 1817 31 May 290/2 They still retain that relic of barbarism, the wearing ear-rings. 1852 Dec. 126/2 Railing against the church, against society, against institutions, against ‘relics of barbarisms’. 1921 T. Wolfe 2 Sept. (1956) 16 This ‘point system’ of selecting teachers is a relic of barbarism. 1996 83 822 In contrast to the struggle against slavery, the other relic of barbarism, the war against polygamy was relatively bloodless. Compounds C1. a. General attributive (chiefly in sense 1). 1591 R. Percyvall Dict. at Relicario A relicke boxe. 1733 tr. I. 350 In 811, the Patriarch of Constantinople sent a Gold Relic-Box..to Pope Leo the Third. 1889 8 Apr. 5/6 On January 16 the excavators came on the relic box or coffer. 1910 V. S. Howard tr. S. Lagerlöf viii. 235 The treasure-vaults of the churches being filled with golden relic-boxes and jewelled exhibits. 2005 (Nexis) 1 Oct. 42 Medieval reliquaries, or relic boxes. 1711 in J. O. Payne (1889) 131 Silver relick case. 1866 May 544 In the comparatively petty art of ornamentation, in rings, brooches, croziers, relic-cases, and so on, he has done just enough to show his delicacy of taste. 1954 13 116 He was restored by the priest putting an offering into the relic case and asking ‘them’ to look with favour upon him. 2008 (Nexis) 15 Sept. c3 There are 800 relic cases of various sizes. 1664 B. Gerbier (new ed.) i. sig. c8 The reformation of a Gotis relick building. 1886 S. Strain in 293 A large double log house..to be used as an old relic building. 2003 T. M. Finser ii. 35 Saving a few relic buildings for posterity is okay, but we do not need one in every town. ?c1450 (1891) 4248 (MED) He vnclosid þe reliks kyst. 1796 2 For want of a cradle, as soon as born, I was popped into a relique chest. 1847 R. B. Paul x. 65 (caption) Shrine or Relic-Chest of the Tenth Century. 1992 (Nexis) 15 Feb. 33 With its relic-chest similar to the size of a coffin,..the [Romanesque] shrine is thought to have been carved by local craftsmen. 1808 W. Scott ii. iii. 81 The relique-shrine of cost, With ivory and gems embosd. 1929 4 Aug. iv. 9/2 Other parts of the temple are one or more relic shrines. 2007 (Nexis) 1 Dec. This practice, well-attested for other relic shrines as well, allows the sick person to consume a substance that, by contact with the powerful relic, was believed to share its wonderworking property. 1791 xxviii. 76 Where relick veneration, And angels' invocation, Feasts, fasts, lent's celebration, When were they first begun? 1848 J. H. Newman ii. xix. 284 The doctrine and practice of relic-veneration. 1993 73 91 A desire to stay in Ireland combined with the rise in relic veneration reoriented Irish pilgrimage. 1678 T. Tenison x. 184 Hottinger distributeth the false worship of the Papists into six kinds of Idolatry,..Breadworship;..Relick-worship [etc]. 1828 R. Southey (new ed.) II. ix. 21 Dacianus, holding relic-worship in as much contempt as the Christians did his idolatry, in order to prevent them from indulging in it, burnt the bodies of the martyrs. 1871 E. B. Tylor II. xv. 139 The conception..would give a rational explanation of much relic-worship otherwise obscure. 1996 (Nexis) 10 Oct. 3 Far from disdaining relic-worship as a rather primitive superstition, the Catholic church has always incorporated it. b. Objective and instrumental. 1765 A. Maclaine tr. J. L. von Mosheim I. 324 St. Eloi was a zealous relick hunter. 1893 K. Sanborn 54 The plaster statues have been disgracefully mutilated by relic-hunters. 1995 (Nexis) 31 July 11 Preservationists... worry relic hunters will dig up sites. 1776 P. Nisbet iii. 138 Such was the spirit for relic-hunting, that many undertook hazardous voyages..in order to procure some part or appendage of departed saints. 1891 A. J. Foster 139 These were the days of relic-hunting. 1998 J. M. Zenzen viii. 115 The Park Service did not have any legal authority to stop the relic hunting because the land was privately owned. 1691 E. Taylor in tr. J. Behmen 239 The Relick-Mongers pretend to some of the Wood of the supposed Cross. 1729 J. Morgan II. xvii. 538 The mangled Carcass was then reduced to Cinders, which were afterwards..cast into the Sea..in order to disappoint the zealous Relic-Mongers. 1854 H. Miller vi. 117 Though not much of a relic-monger, I would hesitate to exchange it. 1923 T. P. Terry (rev. ed.) vi. xliv. 426 Watchful guards are in attendance, and relic-mongers..should think twice before courting the unhappy consequences certain to follow appropriations. 2001 (Nexis) 1 May 59 [Constantine's] mother, Helena, was a relic-monger who went in search of the True Cross and the Seamless Robe. 1830 S. Morgan II. 146 When St. Louis and the imperial relic-vender..shall no longer be remembered. 1848 E. Bulwer-Lytton II. v. i. 4 Edward was left alone to his monks and relic-venders. 1908 Apr. 284/2 It is possible to go..to the shores of Galilee and to sit there for hours without being disturbed by the importunities of relic venders. 1843 G. M. Musgrave I. viii. 275 Shrine manufacturers, tombstone-cutters, sculptors, and masons, garland-weavers and relic-vendors. 1900 7 106 Whatever genuine phenomena may be produced by magnetic healers, faith curers, divine healers, relic vendors, etc. 2007 (Nexis) 9 July A firearms and relic vendor at most Gettysburg re-enactments since 1963, Mike Klinepeter said [etc.]. c. 1807 S. Smith ii. 28 The relic-covered jacket of a Catholic. 2004 J. Campbell et al. (Lonely Planet) (ed. 3) 1039/1 A sawdust floor and relic-covered walls. C2. the mind > language > a language > [noun] > living, dead, or archaic language > area noted for survival of archaic forms 1943 19 186 In North Carolina one can more easily find relic areas along the coast. 1953 4 104 Relic areas..are those whose geographical or cultural isolation, and relative lack of prestige, has caused the retention of older forms or prevented the spread of forms characteristic of these areas. 1990 65 198 Rural relic areas and urban ghettos tend to be characterized by non-mainstream speech forms. society > faith > artefacts > portable shrines or relics > relic > [noun] > knife containing society > occupation and work > equipment > cutting tool > knife > [noun] > other knives 1854 10 89 The knife..is of an earlier period, and may perhaps be regarded as a relic knife. 1996 S. Heaney 44 Healed and martyred Agatha stares down At the relic knife. society > faith > worship > liturgical year > feast, festival > specific Christian festivals > Relic Sunday (3rd after midsummer) > [noun] 1450–2 in 5th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS: Pt. 1 (1876) App. 520 in (C. 1432) XL. 1 For to make a wacchefyre there, the Fryday byfore Relek Sunday, in the 29th year 2d. c1525 R. Arnold (new ed.) sig. Cii On Relyk sonday in the aftyr none was a grete thondre and tempest. 1708 On Relique-Sunday (being the Sund. fortnight after Midsum.). 1844 J. Stoughton 117 Soon after, on a relic Sunday, when every man appeared with a relic in his hand, this chorister had none. 1995 A. D. Brown x. 236 Robert Testwood had to speak out against the practices of Relic Sunday and the cult of Henry VI. society > faith > artefacts > portable shrines or relics > relic > [noun] > water in which relics have been dipped 1530 (1827) 67 For bringing a glasse of Relike water fro Wyndesor. 1562 (1859) ii. Idolatry iii. 236 Our idolaters found too much vantage of reliques and relique water to follow St. Chrysostom's counsel. 1852 D. Rock III. 429 The ‘Canterbury water’ was not the only relic-water known to England. 2001 (Nexis) 16 Apr. 1 b The ceremony is conducted by the [Buddhist] temple's monks, who bless ‘relic water’ that is kept in a special container. Derivatives 1593–1602 J. Donne Satires in (1967) 9 The snuffe, Of wasting Candles..(Relique-like [1633 reliquely] kept) perchance buyes wedding geare. 1910 G. Andersson 287 Among the plants that have a relic-like distribution in Central Sweden, are the yew..and the ivy. 1999 (Nexis) 3 Jan. c3 At first it seems an incongruous matching, these modern designs with these relic-like clay pots. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2009; most recently modified version published online March 2022). relicadj. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: relic n. Etymology: < relic n. Compare earlier relict adj. the world > life > biology > physical aspects or shapes > physical arrangement or condition > [adjective] > relict the world > life > biology > taxonomy > taxon > [adjective] > species or sub-species 1889 3 63 We must assume either that it has been produced in the Baltic or in the lakes, or that, like the other relic-forms, it is a remnant of Arctic fauna. 1903 J. E. S. Moore 20 The fresh water faunas of the world are relic faunas emanating from the sea. 1926 W. H. Twenhofel v. 369 The Salton Sink of California is probably an example of a relic sea which appears to have been severed from the Gulf of California in the building of the Colorado River delta. 1940 40 72 At this stage it is usual for some or all of the chromosomes to show ‘relic’ coils or spirals. These coils are to be regarded as the remains of the spirals of the previous division. 1976 H. M. French v. 95 The presence of obviously relic pingos..in present-day periglacial environments. 1992 M. Atherden vii. 116 The fresh-water herring is another relic species found in a few Scottish lochs. the world > the universe > [adjective] > origin > specific 1966 3 324 ‘Cold’ relic quarks..which remain..from the first stages of the expansion of the universe..may..be present in the cosmic rays. 1976 J. Kleczek ii. 79 There should be a large quantity of relic neutrinos. 1992 S. P. Maran 100/1 It is postulated that relic radio sources are ejecta of now-quiescent radio galaxies that have moved away from the scene. 2006 P. G. Ferreira xv. 243 The relic radiation has been flying through space from the time when the Universe was only a few hundred thousand years old. Compounds 1889*Relic form [see sense 1]. 1933 L. Bloomfield xxvii. 479 This may be disclosed by isolated relic forms, or by the characteristic phenomenon of hyper-forms. 1951 26 13 The preservation of relic forms is made possible by geographical or cultural isolation. 1968 55 681 The diploid populations appear to be relic forms which are surviving as endemics in relatively restricted ecological zones. 1998 73 154 This feature has apparently become an infrequently used relic form in the Anglo-American varieties of Robeson County. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2009; most recently modified version published online March 2022). <  n.?c1225 adj.1889 |
