GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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  1.       
    
    Vestige , n. [F., from L. vestigium footprint, trace, sign; the last part (-stigium) is probably akin to E. sty, v. i. Cf. Investigate.]
    1. The mark of the foot left on the earth; a track or footstep; a trace; a sign; hence, a faint mark or visible sign left by something which is lost, or has perished, or is no longer present; remains; as, the vestiges of ancient magnificence in Palmyra; vestiges of former population.
      1913 Webster

      What vestiges of liberty or property have they left?
      Burke.

      1913 Webster

      Ridicule has followed the vestiges of Truth, but never usurped her place.
      Landor.

      1913 Webster

    2. (Biol.) A small, degenerate, or imperfectly developed part or organ which has been more fully developed in some past generation.
      Webster 1913 Suppl.

      Syn. -- Trace; mark; sign; token. -- Vestige, Trace. These words agree in marking some indications of the past, but differ to some extent in their use and application. Vestige is used chiefly in a figurative sense, for the remains of something long passed away; as, the vestiges of ancient times; vestiges of the creation. A trace is literally something drawn out in a line, and may be used in this its primary sense, or figuratively, to denote a sign or evidence left by something that has passed by, or ceased to exist. Vestige usually supposes some definite object of the past to be left behind; while a trace may be a mere indication that something has been present or is present; as, traces of former population; a trace of poison in a given substance.

      1913 Webster

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