vestige

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 10, 2025 is: vestige \VESS-tij\ noun A vestige is a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something lost or vanished. // The ruins here are the last vestiges of the Roman occupation in this part of Britain. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vestige) Examples: "Filled with vestiges of yesteryear, the Butte [Montana] historic district is one of the largest in the country." — Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and Janie Osborne, The New York Times, 29 Dec. 2024 Did you know? Though [English](https://www.britannica.com/topic/English-language) is categorized as a [Germanic](https://bit.ly/4gSLHbN) language, there’s no denying the enormousness of Latin’s [footprint](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/footprint) on its [lexicon](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lexicon). Among English’s plethora of Latin derivatives is vestige, a word that traces back to the Latin noun vestigium, meaning "footstep, footprint, or track." Like its forebear, vestige refers to a perceptible sign made by something that has passed, or to a tangible reminder, such as a fragment or remnant, of what is past and gone. Vestige also happens to be one of only a few vestiges of vestigium itself, along with the adjective [vestigial](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vestigial) ("remaining as the last part of something that existed before") and the familiar verb [investigate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/investigate).