LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

reliquiae

reliquiae f pl (genitive reliquiārum)
Classical[rɛˈlɪ.kʷi.ae̯]Ecclesiastical[reˈliː.kʷi.e]

Meaning

  1. femininepluralremains; relics
  2. femininepluralremnants; remainders
    Trōās, rēliquiās Danaum atque immītis Achillīthe Trojans, remnants of the Greeks and especially the merciless Achilles (That is, Achilles and the Greek warriors slaughtered the Trojans except Aeneas and a small remainder who escaped; in the context of Juno’s persistent disdain for the Trojans, the more derogatory “remnants” is more appropriate than “survivors.” See: Juno (mythology), Achilles; Danai.)29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 1.30
  3. femininepluralleftovers of a meal
  4. femininepluralsurvivors

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominative—reliquiae
genitive—reliquiārum
relliquiārum
dative—reliquiīs
relliquiīs
accusativereliquiamreliquiās
relliquiās
ablative—reliquiīs
relliquiīs
vocative—reliquiae

rē^lĭquĭae (in the poets, also rellĭqu-; cf. religio
I. init.), ārum (gen. sing. reliquiae, App. Apol. ap. Carm. p. 277, 13), f. relinquo, I. B. 1., the leavings, remains, relics, remnant, rest, remainder of any thing.
I. Lit.
A. In gen.: is navem atque omnia, perdidit in mari, Haec bonorum ejus sunt reliquiae, Plaut. Rud. 1, 3, 17; cf.: de bonis quod restat reliquiarum, id. ib. 5, 1, 7: paucorum mensum sunt relictae reliquiae, id. Most. 1, 1, 81 Lorenz ad loc.; cf. exercitūs, Auct. B. Alex. 40 fin.: copiarum, Nep. Them. 5, 1; cf.: tantae cladis, Liv. 22, 56; 43, 10: pugnae, id. 5, 12: belli, id. 9, 29; Sall. H. 1, 48, 8 Dietsch; Vell. 2, 17, 1: legionum, id. 2, 46, 4: dum belli reliquiae peraguntur, Just. 22, 8, 6; 15: Danaūm, i. e. the remnant of the Trojans who had escaped from the hands of the Greeks, Verg. A. 1, 30; 598; 3, 87 al.: hujus generis reliquias restare video (sc. hominum), Ter. Ad. 3, 3, 90: gladiatoriae familiae, * Caes. B. C. 21, 4: cibi, excrements, Cic. N. D. 2, 55, 138; so absol., Sen. Const. 13, 1: hordei, Phaedr. 5, 4, 3: vini, id. 3, 1, 6: virorum, Verg. A. 8, 356: limae, Plin. 34, 7, 18, § 44; cf. Vulg. Exod. 8, 3.—
B. In partic.
1. The leavings, remains, remnants, fragments of food (cf.: cenarum reliquiae, App. M. 2, p. 125, 22), Plaut. Curc. 3, 18: immo si scias reliquiae quae sint, id. ib. 2, 3, 42: cras de reliquiis nos volo, id. Stich. 3, 2, 40: reliquias ubi videro, id. Men. 1, 2, 33; 3, 1, 15; id. Pers. 1, 3, 25: Phaedr. 1, 22, 6; Suet. Galb. 22; Petr. 6.— Hence in a double sense: vellem Idibus Martiis me ad cenam (i. e. to the assassination of Cæsar) invitasses: reliquiarum (i. e. Antony) nihil fuisset, Cic. Fam. 12, 4, 1. —
2. The remains, relics, ashes of a deceased person; esp. of a body that has been burned: C. Marii sitas reliquias apud Anienem dissipari jussit Sulla victor, Cic. Leg. 2, 22, 56; Sen. Ep. 92, 35; Tac. A. 1, 62; 2, 69; 75; 3, 4; Suet. Oth. 10; id. Aug. 100; id. Ner. 38; id. Tib. 54; id. Calig. 3; Just. 11, 15, 15; Verg. A. 5, 47; 4, 343; 6, 227; cf.: reliquiae (polypi) adservatae miraculo pependere pondo DCC., Plin. 9, 30, 48, § 93.—Hence in a double sense: si funus id habendum sit, quo non amici conveniunt ad exsequias cohonestandas, sed bonorum emptores, ut carnifices ad reliquias vitae lacerandas et distrahendas, Cic. Quint. 15, 50.—
3. The (unconsumed) remains of the flesh of a sacrifice (different from exta), Suet. Aug. 1.—
II. Trop., remnants, remains, remainder, rest, etc.: animaï reddidit omnes, Lucr. 3, 656: vis illius aestus Reliquias vitae membris ex omnibus aufert, id. 6, 825: motus vitalis, id. 2, 955: donec reliquias maxime reliquiae rerum earum moventur in animis et agitantur, de quibus vigilantes aut cogitavimus aut agimus, Cic. Div. 2, 67, 140: pristinae fortunae, id. Sull. 1, 1: maximi belli, id. Prov. Cons. 8, 19: quam palmam utinam di immortales, Scipio, tibi reservent, ut avi reliquias persequare, i. e. the finishing of the Punic war, id. Sen. 6, 19: id cum est apud oratores frequentissimum, tum etiam in usu cottidiano quasdam reliquias habet, Quint. 8, 5, 1.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *relikuwia, from Proto-Indo-European *leykʷ-. Related to Latin linquō, itself derived from Proto-Italic *linkʷō. By surface analysis, reliquus + -iae.

In English words that came into English from reliquiae

  • relicreliquiae
  • reliquiaereliquiae

Quick answers

What does reliquiae mean in Latin?
reliquiae, a noun, means “remains; relics; remnants”.
What is the genitive of reliquiae?
The genitive singular is reliquiārum. reliquiae is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce reliquiae?
In classical Latin, [rɛˈlɪ.kʷi.ae̯]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [reˈliː.kʷi.e].