Reliquary

Definition: Reliquary

Reliquary

Noun

1. A container where religious relics are stored or displayed (especially relics of saints).

Date "reliquary" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1380. (references)

Specialty Definitions: Reliquary

Domain	Definitions
Satire	RELIQUARY, n. A receptacle for such sacred objects as pieces of the true cross, short-ribs of the saints, the ears of Balaam's ass, the lung of the cock that called Peter to repentance and so forth. Reliquaries are commonly of metal, and provided with a lock to prevent the contents from coming out and performing miracles at unseasonable times. A feather from the wing of the Angel of the Annunciation once escaped during a sermon in Saint Peter's and so tickled the noses of the congregation that they woke and sneezed with great vehemence three times each. It is related in the "Gesta Sanctorum" that a sacristan in the Canterbury cathedral surprised the head of Saint Dennis in the library. Reprimanded by its stern custodian, it explained that it was seeking a body of doctrine. This unseemly levity so raged the diocesan that the offender was publicly anathematized, thrown into the Stour and replaced by another head of Saint Dennis, brought from Rome. Source: Devil's Dictionary.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Synonyms within Context: Reliquary

Context	Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).
Receptacle	Chest, box, coffer, caddy, case, casket, pyx, pix, caisson, desk, bureau, reliquary; trunk, portmanteau, band-box, valise; grip, grip sack; skippet, vasculum; boot, imperial; vache; cage, manger, rack.
Rite	Relics, rosary, beads, reliquary, host, cross, rood, crucifix, pax, pyx, agnus Dei, censer, thurible, patera; eileton, Holy Grail; prayer machine, prayer wheel; Sangraal, urceus.
Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

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Crosswords: Reliquary

English words defined with "reliquary": Philatory ♦ -ries. (references)

Specialty definitions using "reliquary": Nine Crosses ♦ reliquary. (references)

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Commercial Usage: Reliquary

Domain	Title
Books	A woman's reliquary (reference) Reliquary (reference) The Reliquary (reference) (more book examples)

Music	Rosenbloom: Reliquary (reference) (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Image Slideshow: Reliquary

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Usage Frequency: Reliquary

"Reliquary" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 94.59% of the time. "Reliquary" is used about 37 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Noun (singular)	94.59%	35	58,339
Noun (proper)	2.7%	1	339,140
Adjective (general or positive)	2.7%	1	339,140
Total	100.00%	37	N/A

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Expression: Reliquary

Hypenated Usage
	Ending with "reliquary": statue-reliquary.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Reliquary

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.

Expression	Frequency per Day
reliquary	19
ma reliquary vincis	2
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translations: Reliquary

Language		Translations for "reliquary"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Albanian		qivur (bier, coffin, shell). (various references)

Arabic		‏المدخر (saver). (various references)

Bulgarian		мощехранителница. (various references)

French		reliquaire. (various references)

German		reliquienschrein, reliquiar, schrein (coffin, shrine). (various references)

Greek		λειψανοθήκη (shrine). (various references)

Hungarian		ereklyetartó (custodial, shrine). (various references)

Italian		reliquiario, reliquario (shrine). (various references)

Japanese Kanji		舎利�" . (various references)

Japanese Katakana		しゃりとう. (various references)

Manx		coodagh taaishnys. (various references)

Pig Latin		eliquaryray

Portuguese		relicário (ferial, shrine). (various references)

Romanian		raclã. (various references)

Russian		рака (feretory, sanctum, shrine). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian		relikvijar. (various references)

Spanish		relicario (feretory, locket, shrine). (various references)

Swedish		relikskrin (feretory, phylactery, shrine). (various references)

Turkish		kutsal emanetlerin saklandığı sandık. (various references)

Ukranian		гробниця (cist, entombment, feretory, sepulchre, tomb, urn). (various references)

Vietnamese		nơi để th� nh tích hòm đựng di h� i. (various references)

Welsh		creirfa (museum). (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Ancestral Language Translations: Reliquary

Language	Period	Translations
Late Latin	300-700	phylacterium. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Misspellings: Reliquary

Misspellings
	"Reliquary" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Delicari, religuary, relinquary, reliqui. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Rhyming with "Reliquary"

Words rhyming with "reliquary" (pronounced 'Rel"i*qua*ry'): Abbreviatory, Abditory, Abjuratory, Ablutionary, Absolutory, Absolvatory, Acceleratory, Acclamatory, Accusatory, Accustomary, Acetary, Acetimetry, Acidimetry, Acoumetry, Actino-chemistry, Actinometry, Actuary, Additionary, Additory, Adhortatory, Adiaphory, Adjuratory, Adjutory, Admaxillary, Adminiculary, Admissory, Admonitory, Adry, Adstrictory, Adulatory, Advisory, Advocatory, Aerometry, Affirmatory, Alary, Alchemistry, Alcoholometry, Alcoometry, Aldermanry, Aleatory, Aleberry, Alimentary, Alkalimetry, Allegory, Alleviatory, Allodiary, Allusory, Almonry, Almry, Altimetry. (additional references)

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Anagrams: Reliquary

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "a-e-i-l-q-r-r-u-y"
	-2 letters: quarrel.
	-3 letters: aerily, irreal, quarry, railer, rarely, rulier.
	-4 letters: airer, ariel, aurei, early, equal, eyrir, layer, leary, lurer, quail, quale, quare, query, quire, relay, riley, riyal, ruler, rural, uraei, urare, urari, ureal, urial, yarer.
	-5 letters: aery, airy, aril, aryl, earl, eyra, ilea, lair, lari, lear, liar, lier, lieu, lira, lire, lure, lyre, quai, quay.
	Words containing the letters "a-e-i-l-q-r-r-u-y"
	+4 letters: equilibratory.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.