a mark, trace, or visible evidence of something that is no longer present or in existence: A few columns were the last vestiges of a Greek temple.
a surviving evidence or remainder of some condition, practice, etc.: These superstitions are vestiges of an ancient religion.
a very slight trace or amount of something: Not a vestige remains of the former elegance of the house.
Biology. a degenerate or imperfectly developed organ or structure that has little or no utility, but that in an earlier stage of the individual or in preceding evolutionary forms of the organism performed a useful function.
Archaic. a footprint; track.
Origin of vestige
First recorded in 1535–45; from Middle French, from Latin vestīgium “footprint”
The envelopes are a vestige of the past, when ballots were counted at the precinct levels and therefore election officials wanted to ensure privacy for voters, Deeley said.
Philadelphia election official warns ‘naked ballots’ may invalidate up to 100,000 votes|Michelle Lee|September 25, 2020|Washington Post
They represent three of the four most highly educated states, where the last vestiges of socially liberal Yankee Republicanism still thrive, and state legislatures are so Democratic that voters like having a check on runaway spending.
Why There Are So Few Moderate Republicans Left|Lee Drutman (drutman@newamerica.org)|August 24, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
You could hardly find a vestige of the splendid railroad depots, warehouses, etc.
Atlanta’s Fall Foretold The End Of Civil War Bloodshed|Marc Wortman|September 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The largest of an archipelago of islands, Santorini is the vestige of a single volcanic landmass that erupted around 1600 BC.
Book a Room for Two in a Santorini Cave|Joanna Eede|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A deep, raspy voice seems the only vestige of the three decades he spent pounding his body with poisons.
Hallucinating Away a Heroin Addiction|Abby Haglage|May 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She explained that “filial laws” are a vestige of English rule.
Are You Legally Responsible for Your Elderly Parents?|Keli Goff|April 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In all three categories, almost all anti-gay laws are a vestige of European colonialism, and date back approximately 150 years.
A rudimentary or degenerate, usually nonfunctioning structure that is the remnant of an organ or part that was fully developed or functioning in a preceding generation or an earlier stage of development.