vestigial

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparable

   Remaining as a small, underdeveloped part of something that had a use in an earlier form.

   Grammar: Not usually used with 'more' or 'most'; it describes a state, not a degree.

   Patterns

   • vestigial organ
   • vestigial structure
   • vestigial remains

   The appendix is often called a vestigial organ in humans.

   The wings of the flightless bird are vestigial and too small for flying.

   Some snakes have vestigial legs hidden under their skin.

2. 2adjectivenot comparableformal

   Left over from an earlier time and no longer having much purpose or importance.

   Grammar: Used mainly in formal or technical writing to describe outdated features or customs.

   Patterns

   • vestigial custom
   • vestigial feature of something

   The rule is a vestigial feature of the old system and serves no real purpose.

   He saw the ceremony as a vestigial tradition from a forgotten age.

   The company kept a vestigial department that no longer did any work.

Word forms

Common combinations

vestigial organ

The human tailbone is a vestigial organ.

vestigial structure

Biologists study vestigial structures to understand evolution.

become vestigial

The wings became vestigial after the birds stopped migrating.

a vestigial remnant

The old law is a vestigial remnant of colonial rule.

Synonyms and how they differ

rudimentary

Means basic or not fully developed; 'vestigial' specifically suggests it was once useful but is now a leftover.

leftover

Informal and general; 'vestigial' is more technical and often used in biology.

remnant

A noun, not an adjective; use 'a remnant' where 'vestigial' would describe the thing itself.

Opposites

Word family

vestige noun

A small remaining trace or part of something that once existed.

Commonly confused: vestigial or vested?

Practice

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