'relict' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'relictus,' where 're-' meant 'back' and 'linquere' meant 'to leave.'

'relictus' transformed into the Old French word 'relicte,' and eventually became the modern English word 'relict' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'something left behind,' but over time it evolved into its current meanings of 'surviving remnant' and 'widow.'