Remnant
adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A small portion remaining of a larger thing or group; part of a former whole.
"The remnants of the Neanderthal race mixed with members of Homo sapiens."
- 2 a piece of cloth that is left over after the rest has been used or sold wordnet
- 3 The remaining fabric at the end of the bolt.
"Usually not enough to make an entire project by itself, remnants of several fabrics can be used to make quilts."
- 4 a small part or portion that remains after the main part no longer exists wordnet
- 5 An unsold end of piece goods, as cloth, ribbons, carpets, etc.
"All the remnants were sold in the flea market."
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- 6 The passionate, influential minority of radicals in a faction or party.
- 1 Still left; remaining. archaic, not-comparable
"[H]is vow was made in his ſickneſſe, whileſt reaſon was ſcarce as yet in the peaceable poſſeſſion of his mind, becauſe of the remnant dregs of his diſeaſe: […]"
Example
More examples"The pursued remnant of soldiers decided it was high time for a show-down one way or another."
Etymology
From Middle English, contraction of remenant, from Anglo-Norman remanant, present participle of remaindre, from Latin remaneō.
Related phrases
More for "remnant"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.