*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of relic

From Middle English relik et al., from Old French relique, from Latin reliquiae (“remains, relics”), from relinquō (“to leave behind, abandon, relinquish”), from re- + linquō (“to leave, quit, forsake, depart from”). Dou

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adj

Pertaining to the Big Bang.

noun

That which remains; that which is left after loss or decay; a remaining portion. · Something old and outdated, possibly kept for sentimental reasons. · A part of the body of a saint, or an ancient religious object, kept for veneration. · A particle or entity that has existed since the Big Bang.

verb

To cause (an object) to appear old or worn, to distress.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English relik et al., from Old French relique, from Latin reliquiae (“remains, relics”), from relinquō (“to leave behind, abandon, relinquish”), from re- + linquō (“to leave, quit, forsake, depart from”). Doublet of relict, derelict, and relinquish.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "relik"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English relik"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "relique"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French relique"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "reliquiae",
        "4": "",
        "5": "remains, relics"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin reliquiae (“remains, relics”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "relict",
        "3": "derelict",
        "4": "relinquish"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of relict, derelict, and relinquish"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "relik",
      "relik#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "relique#Old_French"
    ],
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      "reliquiae#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "relinquō",
      "relinquo#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "re-",
      "re-#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "linquō",
      "linquo#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "relict",
      "relict#English"
    ],
    [
      "derelict",
      "derelict#English"
    ],
    [
      "relinquish",
      "relinquish#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Pertaining to the Big Bang."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 389814
    },
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "That which remains; that which is left after loss or decay; a remaining portion.",
        "Something old and outdated, possibly kept for sentimental reasons.",
        "A part of the body of a saint, or an ancient religious object, kept for veneration.",
        "A particle or entity that has existed since the Big Bang."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 389812
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To cause (an object) to appear old or worn, to distress."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "often",
        "transitive",
        "uncommon"
      ],
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for relic →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-cmVsaWM