reliquary

[ rel-i-kwer-ee ]

noun

, plural rel·i·quar·ies.

1. a repository or receptacle for relics.

reliquary

/ ˈrɛlɪkwərɪ /

noun

1. a receptacle or repository for relics, esp relics of saints

Word History and Origins

Origin of reliquary¹

1650–60; < Middle French reliquaire < Medieval Latin reliquiārium, equivalent to Latin reliqui ( ae ) remains ( relic ) + -ārium -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of reliquary¹

C17: from Old French reliquaire , from relique relic

Example Sentences

A fragment of that relic was returned in the 1930s to Brigidine Sisters elsewhere in Ireland and is stored in a small metal reliquary, shaped like an oak tree, an image associated with Brigid.

From Seattle Times

The most beautiful physical object is surely the casting mold for a sculpture of the rind of an enormous winter squash, presented as a reliquary atop a rough-hewn altar, that was the centerpiece of an uninhibited 1971 performance.

From Los Angeles Times

After the announcement of the beatification, a painting of the family was unveiled and a reliquary containing their remains was brought to the centre of the stage.

From Reuters

But if Seattle’s All-Star history is any guide, more than a few will find their way to a Renton mini-mall and an overstuffed sports reliquary known as DJ’s Sportscards.

From Seattle Times

In a time when most players were staid and conformist, Pepitone was thought to be the first to bring a hair dryer into the clubhouse, an artifact later given to the Baseball Reliquary and displayed at the Burbank Central Library in California during a 2004 exhibition: “The Times They Were A-Changin’: Baseball in the Age of Aquarius.”

From Seattle Times