reliquary

noun

rel·​i·​quary ˈre-lə-ˌkwer-ē 

plural reliquaries

: a container or shrine in which sacred relics are kept

Examples of reliquary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This is a reliquary of human technology, revealed in a scene that suggests how future beings, like paleontologists inferring huge dinosaurs from tiny bones, get so much wrong. —Jesse Green, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2025

Gilded silver reliquaries with sculpted hands stand next to a pair of Hermès gloves. —Elaine Sciolino, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025

Black Emperor—and Freedom, the record that crystallized McMahon’s songwriting and elevated Amen Dunes beyond its origins as a reliquary of underground curios. —Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 10 Dec. 2024

The Crown of Thorns, said to be the wreath placed on Jesus Christ’s head during his crucifixion, and one of the cathedral’s most sacred items, will sit in a sparkling reliquary. —Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 7 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French reliquaire, from Medieval Latin reliquiarium, from reliquia relic — more at relic

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for reliquary

• actuary
• antiquary
• bolsheviki
• calliope
• chelicerae
• covenantee
• cruciferae
• diastole
• distributee
• hyperbole
• interviewee
• origami

Kids Definition

reliquary

noun

rel·​i·​quary ˈrel-ə-ˌkwer-ē 

plural reliquaries

: a small box or shrine in which sacred relics are kept