vestige

Everyday

1. A vestige is a small part or trace that is left of something that used to be bigger or used to exist: «the last vestiges of the castle». tree →
2. In science, a vestigial body part is one that has lost most of its old use, like the tiny leg bones inside some whales. tree →

In the lessons

In history, vestiges of old walls or customs show what the past was like. In science lessons on evolution, vestigial parts (the human tailbone, whale hip bones) are evidence of change over time. In formal writing, «not a vestige of» means «not even a little». Phrases: «the last vestiges», «a vestige of», «vestigial organ».

Examples

• Only a vestige of the Roman wall is left in the town. tree →
• There was not a vestige of food left after the party. tree →
• The human tailbone is a vestige of a tail our distant ancestors had. tree →
• The last vestiges of snow melted in April. tree →
• Some whales have vestiges of back-leg bones inside their bodies. tree →
• The custom is a vestige of an old harvest festival. tree →
• The Argo was consecrated to Poseidon, and was carefully preserved for many generations till no vestige of it remained, when it was placed in the heavens as a brilliant constellation. tree →

Note

Countable: vestige, vestiges. Say «VES-tij». Adjective: vestigial (ves-TIJ-ee-ul). Myth: the appendix was long called useless, but scientists now think it does have some uses, so «vestigial» does not mean «totally useless».