Relict (Noun)
Meaning 1
Geological feature that is a remnant of a pre-existing formation after other parts have disappeared.
Classification
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made).
Examples
- The large granite boulder near the park entrance stands as a relict from the last ice age, a testament to the geological forces that once shaped the landscape.
- In the desert, the oases are relicts of a wetter era that allowed vegetation and water sources to thrive.
- After millions of years of erosion, the isolated hill remained a relict of the original massive mountain range that once dominated the skyline.
- Scientists studied the lonely outcropping as a relict from an ancient sea floor, which offered insights into the Earth's distant past.
- On the heathland, patches of ancient woodland acted as relicts, preserving the botanical diversity that once spanned the region.
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
An organism or species surviving as a remnant of an otherwise extinct flora or fauna in an environment much changed from that in which it originated.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- The coelacanth was long considered a relict of ancient marine life thought to have been extinct with the dinosaurs.
- The discovery of the Wollemi pine in 1994 was a significant find, with the species being considered a relict from the time of the dinosaurs.
- The goblin shark is a relict species from the Early Cretaceous period, a living fossil that still roams the deep waters of the Atlantic.
- In the mountains of Tasmania, a small species of conifer is found, remnants of which also exist as fossils in rocks from the time of the supercontinent Gondwana, a true relict species.
- The relict species found in the high-altitude lakes of the Ethiopian Highlands are of particular scientific interest, providing valuable clues to the region's paleoecological history.