Etimology
From Middle English remainen, from Old French remain-, stressed stem of remanoir, from Latin remaneō, maneō, from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to stay”). Displaced native Middle English beliven, bliven (“to remain”) (from Old English belīfan (“to remain, stay”)) due to confluence with related Middle English beleven (“to leave behind”), with which it merged. More at beleave and belive.
noun
remain (plural remains)
(chiefly in the plural) That which is left; relic; remainder.
(in the plural) That which is left of a human being after the life is gone; relics; a dead body.
Posthumous works or productions, especially literary works.
(obsolete) State of remaining; stay.
verb
remain (third-person singular simple present remains, present participle remaining, simple past and past participle remained)
To stay after others or other parts have been removed or otherwise disappeared.
(mathematics) To be left after a number or quantity has been subtracted or cut off; to be left as not included or comprised.
To continue unchanged in place, form, or condition, or undiminished in quantity; to abide; to stay; to endure; to last.
To await; to be left to.
(copulative) To continue in a state of being.
Examples
After three rounds of interviews, only 5 candidates remained.
I like to make more than enough food if I have people round for dinner, so I can eat my way through what remains in the following days.
Gather up the fragments that remain.
If you divide 20 apples between three people, each gets six and two remain.
Remain a widow at thy father's house.
That […] remains to be proved.
We made an odd party before the arrival of the Ten, particularly when the Celebrity dropped in for lunch or dinner. He could not be induced to remain permanently at Mohair because Miss Trevor was at Asquith, but he appropriated a Hempstead cart from the Mohair stables and made the trip sometimes twice in a day.
Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […]. Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. […] But the scandals kept coming, […]. A broad section of the political class now recognises the need for change but remains unable to see the necessity of a fundamental overhaul. Instead it offers fixes and patches.
There was no food in the house, so I had to remain hungry.
The light remained red for two full minutes.
Related words
synonyms
(to stay behind while others withdraw): linger, stay, tarry; See also Thesaurus:stay behind
(to be left over after a portion is removed): rest, stay; See also Thesaurus:remain
(to continue unchanged): endure, last, stay; See also Thesaurus:persist
(to await; to be left to): await, bide, wait; See also Thesaurus:wait for
(to continue in a state of being): stay
belave