Rel"ic (r?l"?k), n. [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 pearls were spilt;
Some lost, some stolen, some as relics kept. Tennyson.
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