What does remnant mean?
Word: Remnant
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Remnant means a small piece or amount that is left after the rest has been used or has gone.
Synonyms: leftover, scrap, fragment
Word origin: From Old French, from the same verb that gave English the word remain.
How do you spell remnant?
Syllables: rem - nant
Tricky part: The second syllable is weak and said 'nuhnt', so students guess at the vowel and write remnent or remnint.
Watch out for: remnent, remnint, remnunt
Memory tip: Picture one ant dragging away the last crumb of a picnic: that tiny ant finishes the word.
Remnant in a sentence
Example 1: Only a remnant of the old fort wall still stands beside the lake.
Example 2: Grandma turned every remnant of her saris into bright patchwork cushions.
Example 3: The last remnants of the monsoon clouds drifted away by noon.
Fun Fact
Astronomers use the word too: a supernova remnant is the glowing cloud left behind after a star has blown apart, and the Crab Nebula is a well-known example.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) resonant
b) dominant
c) remenant
d) vigilant
Show answer
c) remenant. No vowel comes between the m and the n in this word.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its synonym:
1. remnant 2. replica 3. remedy a. copy b. residue c. cure
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
c) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
d) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
Show answer
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c. What stays behind is a residue, a replica is a copy, and a remedy puts something right.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
tmarenn
a) a written promise from a shop to mend its goods
b) a slow drip of water from a leaking roof
c) a tall post that holds up the sail of a ship
d) a short end of cloth left when most has been sold
Show answer
d) a short end of cloth left when most has been sold. Shops have a name for the last short piece of a roll of cloth, and these letters spell it.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
The archaeologists found a ___ of an ancient clay pot buried near the river.
a) renewal
b) remnant
c) rebate
d) rehearsal
Show answer
b) remnant. A broken surviving part of the pot fits; the other three make no sense with a pot.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If only a remnant of the birthday cake is on the table, what can you say?
a) none of it has been cut yet
b) it is still being baked
c) most of it has been eaten
d) all of it has been sent back
Show answer
c) most of it has been eaten
2. A remnant is to the whole as a crumb is to a ___.
a) plate
b) loaf
c) baker
d) oven
Show answer
b) loaf
