relique

English

Noun

relique (plural reliques)

1. Obsolete form of relic.
   • 1632, John Milton, On Shakespear. 1630:

     What needs my Shakespear for his honour'd Bones,
     The labour of an age in piled Stones,
     Or that his hallow'd reliques should be hid
     Under a Star-ypointing Pyramid?

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “relique”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French relique, from Latin reliquiae (“relics”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁə.lik/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

relique f (plural reliques)

1. (religion) relic
2. remnant

Related terms

• reliquat

Descendants

• → Romanian: relicvă

Further reading

• “relique”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈrɛ.lɪ.kʷɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈrɛː.li.kʷe]

Adjective

relique

1. vocative masculine singular of reliquus

Middle English

Noun

relique

1. alternative form of relik

Old French

Alternative forms

• relike

Etymology

From Latin rēliquiae.

Noun

relique oblique singular, f (oblique plural reliques, nominative singular relique, nominative plural reliques)

1. relic (ancient religious object, kept for veneration)

Descendants

• French: relique
• → Middle English: relik, releck, relicke, relike, relyk, relyke, relique, relyque
  • English: relic