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remnant

remnant

104 4.2
A small piece, often cloth, left when the rest is used or thrown away
  • noun
  • /ˈrɛm.nənt/
: resto
  • After cutting the fabric, I had a small remnant left that I saved for future projects.
  • a small remnant
  • ancient remnants
  • the last remnant

How can we leave some remnants if we do destroy ourselves?

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Examples

  • Frank and Charlie sit back in their chairs, the remnants of their lunches before them.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Nonetheless, a landscape with such impoverished remnants would clearly be better than one with none at all.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Was it all a gamble then, even that sad remnant of his promise to me?

    Fiction book (1991)
  • There will be a humble remnant which will seek refuge in God.

  • And a new Israel would rise from the remnant of Judah and Israel.

  • It's a remnant from colonial Indo-China.

  • To my right, I could barely see the remnants of a railroad bridge.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • There was no one there, though the remnants of a meal were strewn over the table.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Neutron stars are one of the remnants of supernovae.

  • Remnants of the scavenger army continue to disrupt the operation.

Synonyms

fragment
vsremnant
204 3.2

A small piece broken off something larger

is a leftover piece left after use rather than broken off
scrap
vsremnant
147 2.1

A small piece left over or thrown away

is a small leftover piece that may still be kept or used
residue
vsremnant
127 4.1

A small amount left on something after most is removed

is a small physical piece rather than just a remaining amount
remainder
vsremnant
89 2.7

The part left after the other parts are used or removed

is specifically a small piece left after most has been used
remains
vsremnant
72 3.6

Things left after the rest is used, eaten, or taken away

is about one small leftover piece rather than several items
vestige
vsremnant
20 8.4

A small part that remains from something that once existed

is a physical leftover piece rather than just a trace or sign
leftover
vsremnant
17 1.7

A small amount of food remaining after a meal

is used for small pieces across materials, not only food
end
vsremnant
15 7.5

A leftover piece of cloth used for sewing or crafts

is a small leftover piece but not limited to cloth ends only
residual
vsremnant
5 6.0

A part left after the main part is used

is a concrete small leftover piece rather than a general remaining amount
leavings
vsremnant
5 5.1

Small pieces of food and other things left after people eat or use them

is a single small leftover piece not a collection of remains
residuum
vsremnant
1 9.9

A part that remains after the main parts are removed or used

is focused on a small leftover piece often from materials
tag end
vsremnant
1 7.3

A small piece left at the very end of cloth or ribbon

is a small leftover piece that can be any material, not only cloth
vestigia
vsremnant
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Traces or small remains of something that existed in the past

is a tangible small piece rather than an abstract trace
residua
vsremnant
9.1

Parts left after a process or event

is a single small leftover piece rather than multiple remaining parts
oddment
vsremnant
9.6

A small piece of cloth left after making larger items

is a small leftover piece but used for any material too

Antonyms

374 1.0

All of something seen as one unit

69 4.1

The whole of something that includes every part

How Much

surplus
157 3.1
remainder
89 2.7
leftover
76 1.6
remnant
104 4.2
scrap
147 2.1

Surface Forms

remnant singular
remnants plural

Morphology

remnant = remain (transparent) = remain + ant

The noun denotes 'what remains' and is directly derived from the verb 'remain' with the suffix '-ant'.

Etymology

Remnant comes from Latin parts re- meaning 'back' and manere meaning 'to stay', and you can see the same idea in remain and remainder. So a remnant is something that 'stays back' — a small piece left after the rest is used or taken away.