Well-read · Time · Science & thinking · Body & health
Vestigial: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Vestigial adjective. Remaining as a small, useless trace of something that once had a purpose.
How to say it
ve-STIJ-ee-ul/vɛˈstɪdʒɪəl/
4 syllables, stressed on the second (STIJ).
Vestigial in a sentence
Whales have vestigial hip bones left over from ancestors that walked on land.
The castle’s moat is now vestigial, a soggy ditch full of nettles.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- residual
- remnant
- leftover
Where vestigial comes from
From Latin vestigium, a footprint or trace.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The castle’s moat is now _____, a soggy ditch full of nettles.
- posthumous
- vestigial
- sempiternal
Show the answer
vestigial: The castle’s moat is now vestigial, a soggy ditch full of nettles.