rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryvestigeSurviving trace
noun

vestige

VES-tij/ˈvestɪdʒ/

A small remaining trace or part of something.

Only a vestige of the footprint remains after the wave recedes.

A nearly washed-away barefoot footprint at the waterline: only a shallow heel hollow and two faint toe impressions remain, while a thin receding wave has smoothed away the rest.
Etymology
vestigeLatinfootprint; trace

A footprint is evidence left behind by something no longer there. The Latin word for a footprint or trace developed into the sense of a slight surviving remnant; its deeper origin is unknown.

In context

Panda Fantasy Chronicles721:59
his face turned ashen and the last vestige of his stubbornness seemed to vanish completely the city gates have been breached the drawbridge has been lowered and all is lost
Boy Travels to Ancient Era, Gains Modern Arms System, Crushes Bandits, Builds the Strongest Empire!

More examples

  • The ritual preserves a vestige of an earlier custom.
  • He showed no vestige of his former confidence.
  • Archaeologists found vestiges of the settlement.

Forms

vestige · vestiges

vestigial adjective — remaining as a reduced trace

Similar words

trace
Trace is a general small sign; vestige often means a surviving remnant of something mostly gone.
remnant
A remnant is a remaining part; vestige can be as slight as a faint indication.