: the last small part that remains of something that existed before
: the smallest possible amount of something
Full Definition of VESTIGE
- a (1) : a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something (as an ancient city or a condition or practice) vanished or lost (2) : the smallest quantity or trace
b : footprint 1
- a bodily part or organ that is small and degenerate or imperfectly developed in comparison to one more fully developed in an earlier stage of the individual, in a past generation, or in closely related forms
— ves·ti·gial adjective
— ves·ti·gial·ly adverb
Examples of VESTIGE
- a few strange words carved on a tree were the only vestige of the lost colony of Roanoke
- the fossilized vestige of a dinosaur that traversed that muddy landscape millions of years ago
Origin of VESTIGE
Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin vestigium footstep, footprint, track, vestige
First Known Use: 15th century
Related to VESTIGE
Synonyms
echo, ghost, relic, shadow, trace
