relicts
Species left behind
Relicts is the plural of relict, a formal or technical term for something that survives from an earlier time.
In ecology, a relict species is one that persists in a small area after its range has contracted: The redwoods are relicts of a wetter climate.
In law, relict is an archaic term for a surviving spouse, especially a widow.
The word shares roots with relinquish—what remains after something has been left behind.
Native to one area
- refugiaIsolated survival zones
- disjunctSeparated or disjoined
- glacialOf frozen rivers
- coelacanthPrimordial fish still swimming
horseshoe crab · tuatara · cycads · lungfish · nautilus · monotremes · isolated · surviving
Preserved ancient organism
- vestigeFaint surviving trace
- artifactHuman-made historical object
- remainsContinues in place
- traceMinute remnant or pursue
fragment · erosion · landform · moraine · outcrop · sediment · stratigraphy · formation
Inherited cultural legacy
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
antiquities · ruins · monuments · archaeological · historical · ancestral · indigenous · preservation
Obsolete but preserved phrasing
- obsoleteNo longer in use
- archaicBelonging to earlier times
- antiquatedOld and outdated
- datedOld-fashioned or courted
survivals · etymology · historical · vocabulary · dialect · obsolescent · vestigial · preserved
Status after spouse dies
- bereavedDeprived by death
- surviving spousePartner after death
- estateProperty and grounds
- dowerWidow's inheritance right
inheritance · mourning · pension · beneficiary · probate · deceased · spouse · marriage
endemic
Native to one area
coelacanth · horseshoe crab · tuatara · cycads · lungfish · nautilus · monotremes · isolated · surviving · prehistoric
fossil
Preserved ancient organism
trace · fragment · erosion · landform · moraine · outcrop · sediment · stratigraphy · formation · deposit
heritage
Inherited cultural legacy
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
folklore · antiquities · ruins · monuments · archaeological · historical · ancestral · indigenous · preservation · ethnographic
archaism
Obsolete but preserved phrasing
- obsoleteNo longer in use
- archaicBelonging to earlier times
- antiquatedOld and outdated
dated · survivals · etymology · historical · vocabulary · dialect · obsolescent · vestigial · preserved · usage
widowhood
Status after spouse dies
- bereavedDeprived by death
- surviving spousePartner after death
- estateProperty and grounds
dower · inheritance · mourning · pension · beneficiary · probate · deceased · spouse · marriage · bequest
relictsnewcomers
Those recently arrived
neophytes · new arrivals · colonizers · invasive species · introductions
relictscolonizers
Those who establish foreign control
invaders · invasive species · pioneers · pioneer species · invasives
- war relicsItems from past conflicts
- holy relicConsecrated religious artifact
- ancient relicsVery old historical objects
- sacred relicsSpiritually significant religious objects
- religious relicsVenerated sacred objects
- historical relicsObjects from earlier times