Where does “reliquary” come from?
Reliquary comes from Middle French reliquaire, from Late Latin reliquiarium, from Latin reliquia meaning remainder, derived from reliquus meaning left behind, from relinquo meaning to leave behind.
reliquary (English): A container to hold or display religious relics;...
Definitions
- A container to hold or display religious relics;...
Ancestry of “reliquary”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | reliquaire | reliquary |
| 2 | Late Latin | reliquiarium | — |
| 3 | Latin | rēliquia | — |
| 4 | Latin | reliquiae | remains, relics; remnants; survivors |
| 5 | Latin | relinquō | to abandon, forsake, desert |
| 6 | Latin | linquō | to leave, quit, forsake, depart from |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | linkʷō | leave |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | linékʷti | to be leaving |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leykʷ- | to leave |