Rĕl'ic, n.
n. [Formerly written also relique.] [Fr. relique, Pr., Sp., Pg., & It. reliquia, Lat. reliquiæ, pl., from relinquere, to leave behind. See RELINQUISH.]
Sense 1. That which remains; that which is left after loss or decay.
Shall we go see the relics of this town? Shak.
Sense 2. The body of a deceased person; a corpse; specifically, the body, or some part of the body, of deceased saints or martyrs.
Thy relics, Rowe, to this fair shrine we trust, And sacred place by Dryden’s awful dust. Pope.
There are very few treasuries of relics in Italy that have not a tooth or bone of this saint. Addison.
Sense 3. Hence, a memorial; any thing preserved in remembrance; as, relics of youthful days or friendships.