Meaning

noun an organism or species surviving as a remnant of an otherwise extinct flora or fauna in an environment much changed from that in which it originated

noun geological feature that is a remnant of a pre-existing formation after other parts have disappeared

originInherited from Middle English relicte (“widow”), from Middle French relicte (“widow”), from Late Latin relicta (“widow”), from Latin relictus, past participle of relinquō (“to abandon, to relinquish, to leave (behind)”), from re- + linquō (“to leave, quit, forsake, depart from”). Doublet of relic, derelict, and relinquish.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0