Remanant

Remanant is not a standard term in English and is usually encountered as a misspelling of either remnant or remanent. Remnant (noun) refers to something that remains from a larger whole, such as a small piece, fragment, or trace left after the rest is gone. The word is used across contexts, including textiles (remnants of fabric), archaeology (remnants of a structure), and astronomy (supernova remnants).

In scientific usage, remanent (adjective) describes a property that remains after the original cause is removed. The most well-known example is remanent magnetization: the magnetization that persists in a ferromagnetic material after an external magnetic field is removed. The related term remanence (or residual flux density) quantifies this residual magnetization and is often shown on a magnetic hysteresis loop. In ferroelectric materials, remanent polarization describes the leftover electric polarization after the applied field is removed.

Usage notes: in technical writing, remanent is the standard spelling when referring to magnetic or dielectric residual properties; remnant is more common in general language and in astronomy to describe leftovers such as a supernova remnant. The preferred spelling depends on discipline and audience, but remanent is typically used in physics and materials science contexts.

Etymology: both remnant and remanent derive from the idea of remaining or persisting. Remnant comes from Latin remnants meaning what remains, while remanent (via French and Latin roots) denotes something that remains after an external cause is removed. Remanant is generally considered a nonstandard form.