RELIC

keepsake, souvenir, token, relic

(noun) something of sentimental value

relic

(noun) an antiquity that has survived from the distant past

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

relic (plural relics)

That which remains; that which is left after loss or decay; a remaining portion.

Something old and outdated, possibly kept for sentimental reasons.

(religion) A part of the body of a saint, or an ancient religious object, kept for veneration.

Usage notes

By comparison with synonyms, relic emphasizes age, and to some degree value – a “relic of a lost civilization”.

Synonyms

• (that which remains): remnant, remainder, residue, lave; See also remainder

• (that which is regarded as ancient, rare, or sacred): halidom

Verb

relic (third-person singular simple present relics, present participle relicing, simple past and past participle reliced)

(transitive, uncommon, often of guitars) To cause (an object) to appear old or worn, to distress.

Source: Wiktionary

Rel"ic (rl"k), n. Etym: [F. relique, from L. reliquiae, pl., akin to relinquere to leave behind. See Relinquish.] [Formerly written also relique.]

1. That which remains; that which is left after loss or decay; a remaining portion; a remnant. Chaucer. Wyclif. The relics of lost innocence. Kebe. The fragments, scraps, the bits and greasy relics. Shak.

2. The body from which the soul has departed; a corpse; especially, the body, or some part of the body, of a deceased saint or martyr; -- usually in the plural when referring to the whole body. There are very few treasuries of relics in Italy that have not a tooth or a bone of this saint. Addison. Thy relics, Rowe, to this fair urn we trust, And sacred place by Dryden's awful dust. Pope.

3. Hence, a memorial; anything preserved in remembrance; as, relics of youthful days or friendships. The pearis were split; Some lost, some stolen, some as relics kept. Tennyson.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition