relict
Species left behind
A relict is something that survives from an earlier time, most often used in biology for a species or population that persists in a limited area after once being widespread.
In geology, relict describes features or structures that remain from earlier conditions.
The word also has a legal and literary meaning as an archaic term for a widow—one who remains after a spouse's death.
The high peaks harbor relict populations of alpine plants from the last ice age.
Native to one area
- speciesFinest taxonomic rank
- populationAll inhabitants combined
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- isolationComplete separation from others
biodiversity · conservation · endangered · rare · pristine · disjunct · biogeography · phylogeny
Faint surviving trace
- traceMinute remnant or pursue
- remainsContinues in place
- fragmentIncomplete portion of whole
- residueMatter left behind
survivor · leftover · holdover · carryover · artifact · fossil · echo · legacy
Natural terrain feature
- formationCreation or arrangement
- outcropSurfacing native stone
- erosionGradual wearing away
- plateauFlat highland area
bedrock · moraine · glacier · karst · fossil · stratum · sediment · weathering
Status after spouse dies
- dowagerTitled widow of nobility
- estateProperty and grounds
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
- bequestGift left by will
pension · mourning · bereavement · survivor · spouseless · dower · jointure · beneficiary
endemic
Native to one area
- speciesFinest taxonomic rank
- populationAll inhabitants combined
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
isolation · biodiversity · conservation · endangered · rare · pristine · disjunct · biogeography · phylogeny · speciation
vestige
Faint surviving trace
residue · survivor · leftover · holdover · carryover · artifact · fossil · echo · legacy · persistence
landform
Natural terrain feature
plateau · bedrock · moraine · glacier · karst · fossil · stratum · sediment · weathering · terrain
widowhood
Status after spouse dies
- dowagerTitled widow of nobility
- estateProperty and grounds
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
bequest · pension · mourning · bereavement · survivor · spouseless · dower · jointure · beneficiary · deceased
damselfly
Delicate winged pond predator
- demoiselleSmall gray-blue crane
- sylphGraceful, slender woman
- malachiteGreen copper carbonate stone
jewel · pond · stream · wetland · iridescent · delicate · predator
- wildlife statusendangered, extinct, vulnerable, threatened, rare species
- biogeographybioregion, species range, endemism, dispersal, native range
relictneophyte
Inexperienced beginner
invasive species · introduced species · pioneer species · colonizer
relictflourishing
Prospering vigorously
widespread · abundant · cosmopolitan · ubiquitous · dominant species
- holy relicConsecrated religious artifact
- ancient relicPreserved object from history
- sacred relicConsecrated religious artifact
- historical relicObject from the past
- Christian relicVenerated object from holy figures
- prehistoric relicSurviving item from before writing