[ rel-ikt ]
/ ˈrɛl ɪkt /


Ecology. a species or community living in an environment that has changed from that which is typical for it.
a remnant or survivor.
a widow.


Origin of relict

1525–35; < Medieval Latin relicta widow, noun use of feminine of Latin relictus, past participle of relinquere to relinquish Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for relict

British Dictionary definitions for relict


/ (ˈrɛlɪkt) /


  1. a group of animals or plants that exists as a remnant of a formerly widely distributed group in an environment different from that in which it originated
  2. (as modifier)a relict fauna
  1. a mountain, lake, glacier, etc, that is a remnant of a pre-existing formation after a destructive process has occurred
  2. a mineral that remains unaltered after metamorphism of the rock in which it occurs
an archaic word for widow (def. 1)
an archaic word for relic (def. 6)

Word Origin for relict

C16: from Latin relictus left behind, from relinquere to relinquish

Medicine definitions for relict


[ rĕlĭkt, rĭ-lĭkt ]


Something that has survived; a remnant.