Remnant

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɹɛmnənt/

Definitions

1. A leftover fragment or part that remains after most of it has been taken away or consumed
2. An item or part that persists after the majority has been eliminated or utilized, representing a smaller portion
3. A small piece or fragment that continues to exist after the bulk has been removed or used ; a tiny amount or portion left after the main part has been consumed or discarded

Etymology: Remnant is a word that quietly carries a verb inside it. It descends from Latin "remaneō," meaning "to remain" or "to stay behind," and reached English through Anglo-Norman "remanant," the present participle of the verb "remaindre." In other words, a remnant is literally whatever is still remaining, the thing that stays behind when the rest has gone. The word reached English in Middle English as a contraction of the older form "remenant." Over the centuries the idea of staying behind narrowed in English from the general to the specific. The word's core sense stayed the same, but it came to be attached most often to physical leftovers: the scrap of cloth left after a bolt has been cut, or the small piece of a meal nobody finished.

Synonyms: remainder, leftover

Antonyms: whole