Reliquary

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɹɛlɪkwɛɹi/

Definitions

1. A decorative receptacle designed to enclose and preserve holy relics or revered objects of significance
2. A specially crafted container aimed at holding and displaying sacred remains or artifacts of religious importance
3. A specially made box or vessel that holds sacred objects or remains associated with religious worship

Etymology: A reliquary is, at root, a left-behind thing. The Latin "reliquia" meant a remnant or leftover, and it came to mean the remains of a holy person, the bones or cloth kept as relics. That noun grew from "reliquus," meaning "left behind," which itself comes from "relinquere," "to leave behind" or "to relinquish." So the chain runs from the idea of something abandoned to the idea of something precious enough to be kept. The container took its name from the relic it held. Medieval Latin formed "reliquiarium" from "reliquia" to name the box or casket built to hold such remains. The word passed through Middle French as "reliquaire," and English borrowed it from there. The shape of the word thus records a shift from a leftover to a treasure, with the vessel named for what it guarded.

Synonyms: shrine, repository, sanctuary, chamber, vault