reliquiae

English

Etymology

From Latin reliquiae.

Noun

reliquiae pl (plural only)

1. Remains, especially of fossil organisms.
   • 1831, Philosophical Magazine, volume 9, page 435:

     The most abundant fossil remains of plants belong to terrestrial tribes; but the animal reliquiæ are mostly of aquatic origin; […]

2. (archaeology) Artifacts; things made or modified by human art.

Latin

Etymology

From relinquō.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /reˈli.kʷi.ae̯/, [rɛˈlʲɪkʷiäe̯]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /reˈli.kwi.e/, [reˈliːkwie]

Noun

rē̆liquiae f pl (genitive rē̆liquiārum); first declension

1. remains, relics
2. remnants, remainders
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 1.30:

     Trōās, rēliquiās Danaum atque immītis Achillī

     the Trojans, remnants of the Greeks and especially the merciless Achilles
     (That is, Achilles and the Greek warriors slaughtered the Trojans except Aeneas and a small remainder who escaped; in the context of Juno’s persistent disdain for the Trojans, the more derogatory “remnants” is more appropriate than “survivors.” See: Juno (mythology), Achilles; Danai.)

3. leftovers of a meal
4. survivors
5. genitive singular of reliquia
6. vocative plural of reliquia

Usage notes

Almost always plural; the genitive singular reliquiae is attested.

In the poets, spelled also relliqu-

Declension

First-declension noun, plural only.

Case	Plural
Nominative	rē̆liquiae
Genitive	rē̆liquiārum
Dative	rē̆liquiīs
Accusative	rē̆liquiās
Ablative	rē̆liquiīs
Vocative	rē̆liquiae

Related terms

• relinquō

Descendants

• → English: relic
• French: relique
  • Romanian: relicvă
• → Old Irish: reilic
  • Irish: reilig
  • Manx: rhuillick
  • Scottish Gaelic: rèilig
• Italian: reliquia
• Romanian: relicvă
• Portuguese: relíquia
• Spanish: reliquia

References

• “reliquiae”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “reliquiae”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• reliquiae in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• reliquiae in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.