reliquary

Definitions  ·  Examples  ·  Pronunciations  ·  Etymologies  ·  Related  ·  Statistics  ·  Comments  · 
The six adoring angels on the slope of the frame, and the two seated at the base playing musical instruments, not only fully reveal his ability, but might be classed with those of the Linen Weaver's Tabernacle as among the most beautiful and ethereal he ever painted The third reliquary which is divided into two parts represents the "Adoration of the Magi," below, and the "Annunciation" above.

View all »
Definitions (7)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. noun A receptacle, such as a coffer or shrine, for keeping or displaying sacred relics.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (4)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

Toggle elsewhere links Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples (50)

  • I set it on the floor near the reliquary, and Helen and I gently lifted the two icons from their places—I found myself averting my eyes from the dragon and Saint George—and propped them against one wall. —  The Historian
  • It was Christian and very old, what is referred to as a reliquary, something to hold the bones of someone very special, a bishop perhaps, or even a saint. —  Celtic Riddle
  • I set hand to the work, and made a drawing for the reliquary, well adapted to contain the sacred phial. —  The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini
  • Then he said: Go find Benvenuto in his shop, and treat him with all the courtesies of which your ignorant and brutal nature is capable, and tell him that if he is willing to finish that piece for a reliquary to hold the Corpus Domini when I walk in procession, I will allow him the conveniences he wants in order to complete it; provided only that he goes on working. —  The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini
  • Painters associated themselves in the same ideal of beauty with architects, they united in an indestructible relation cathedrals and saints, only reversing the usual process--they framed the jewel according to the shrine, and modelled the relics for the reliquary On their side the sequences chanted by the Church had subtle affinities with the canvases of the Early Painters Vittoria's responses for Tenebrć are of a like inspiration and an equal loftiness with those of Quentin Matsys' great work, the Entombment of Christ. —  En Route
 

Tags

Sign up or sign in to add tags.

Stats

This word has been looked up 83 times.

On Twitter

Photos from

flickr images

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. French reliquaire, from Old French, from relique, relic, from Late Latin reliquiae, sacred relics; see relic.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Old French reliquaire, F. réliquaire =Provencal reliquiari =Spanish Portuguese relicario = Italian reliquiario, from Middle Latin reliquiare or reliquiarium, a reliquary, from Latin reliquiæ, relics: see relic
  2. from ML, *reliquarius, from reliqua, what is left over: see reliqua.
 

Pronunciations
Record your own »

/ˈrɛlɪkwəri/
by American Heritage

Charts

frequency chart

Bubble size: how much this word was used in a year

Bubble height: used more or less than expected, vs. all uses evenly distributed

You can expect to see this word about once a year.

Recently looked up

EY · checkable · supersolidity · manoeuvrability · raffia

Recent Favorites

pygopagus · sanglant · Astacus · sweetbread · qualms

Recent Pronunciations

Glockenspiel · Ersatz · Blaukraut bleibt Blaukraut und Brautkleid bleibt Brautkleid · Haifischschwanzflossenfleischsuppe · Der Kottbusser Postkutscher putzt den Kottbusser Postkutschkasten