noun / adjective
remnant
REM-nunt/ˈremnənt/
A part remaining after most is gone.
A small cloth remnant lies beside the fabric roll.
Etymology
The underlying idea is staying behind: a remnant is what remains when other material has gone. A form meaning “remaining” became a noun for the leftover part.
In context
an asteroid once named alamasa the remnant of a planet that had eons before suffered a catastrophic extraplanetary impact
More examples
- The old wall was a remnant of the fort.
- Only remnant patches of snow remained in the shade.
- They preserved the last remnants of the original design.
Forms
remnant · remnants