Definition

1. Noun:
   • A trace, mark, or visible sign left by something that is gone or has disappeared: A "vestige" is a small remaining part or indication of what once existed but is now largely gone or lost.
   • A surviving remnant or relic of something that is typically from the past: It can refer to a physical object, structure, or feature that remains from an earlier time or state.
   • (Biology) A degenerate or imperfectly developed biological structure or organ that was more fully developed in an earlier stage of the individual, a past generation, or a related species: This is a specialized scientific meaning.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The old stone wall is the last vestige of the medieval castle that once stood here.
  • Her polite smile was the only vestige of her earlier anger.
  • The appendix in humans is considered a vestige of a larger organ that aided in digesting cellulose.

Advanced Usage

• "not a vestige of": used to emphasize the complete absence of something.
  • After the fire, there was not a vestige of the original building left.
  • His story contained not a vestige of truth.

Variants and Related Words

• Vestigial (adj): Referring to something that is a vestige; remaining as a small, often functionless, trace of something that was once more significant.
  • The wings of flightless birds are vestigial structures.

Synonyms

• Trace: A very small quantity or indication of something's presence.
• Relic: An object surviving from an earlier time, especially one of historical interest.
• Remnant: A small remaining quantity of something.
• Remains: The parts left over after other parts have been removed, used, or destroyed.

Idioms and Phrases

• "A vestige of the past": Something that remains from a former time, often seen as outdated.
  • The handwritten ledger was a vestige of the past in the fully digital office.

Noun

1. an indication that something has been present
   • there wasn't a trace of evidence for the claim
   • a tincture of condescension