Literary notes about Relict (AI summary)
The word "relict" is often deployed to describe a surviving spouse whose identity carries the weight and legacy of a deceased partner, as seen in portrayals of widows tied to prominent figures or past eras [1, 2, 3]. At the same time, it can extend to signify remnants of a former time—whether denoting surviving populations or the lingering traces of historical institutions—and thus infuses a narrative with a sense of antiquity and continuity [4, 5]. In literature, this term evokes both personal loss and the broader passage of time, enriching character relationships and settings with layers of historical resonance [6, 7, 8, 9].
- The widow, we discovered, was the relict of a Greek doctor who had died of typhus in Plevlie, and she was returning to her native land.
— from The Luck of Thirteen: Wanderings and Flight through Montenegro and Serbia by Jan Gordon - This year died Elfgive, the lady, relict of King Ethelred and of King Canute, on the second before the nones of March.
— from The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle - A relict is either a widow or a widower.
— from A Desk-Book of Errors in English Including Notes on Colloquialisms and Slang to be Avoided in Conversation by Frank H. Vizetelly - In combination, the features mentioned could be taken as indication that haidarum is a relict population from a former glacial period.
— from American Weasels by E. Raymond (Eugene Raymond) Hall - Many such relict dunes now receive from 80 to 150 millimeters of rain each year.
— from Deserts: Geology and Resources by A. S. (Alta Sharon) Walker - When the above survey was taken, his relict, Lady Radnor, was in possession of the premises.
— from Chelsea, in the Olden & Present Times by George Bryan - Mrs Florence MacCabe, relict of the late Patk MacCabe, deeply lamented, of Bride Street.
— from Ulysses by James Joyce - Lord, Anne, dearie, I may be an old maid, but there's this comfort in it—I'll never be any man's 'relict.'" "It IS an ugly word," said Anne, laughing.
— from Anne's House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery - There's only one uglier word that I know of, and that's RELICT.
— from Anne's House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery
