relict

rel·ict  (rlkt, r-lkt)

n.

1. Ecology An organism or species of an earlier time surviving in an environment that has undergone considerable change.

2. Something that has survived; a remnant.

3. A widow.

adj. Geology

Of or relating to something that has survived, as structures or minerals after destructive processes.

---

[From Middle English relicte, left undisturbed, from Latin relictus, past participle of relinquere, to leave behind; see relinquish. Sense 3, Middle English relicte, from Medieval Latin relicta, from feminine past participle of Latin relinquere.]

---

relict

Noun

Archaic

1. a relic

2. a widow [Latin relictus left behind]

---

relict

an animal or plant surviving in one area after becoming extinct else-where; a survival of an earlier period. — relict, adj.

See also: Animals

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	relict - an organism or species surviving as a remnant of an otherwise extinct flora or fauna in an environment much changed from that in which it originated organism, being - a living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently
	2.	relict - geological feature that is a remnant of a pre-existing formation after other parts have disappeared geological formation, formation - (geology) the geological features of the earth