souvenir

American  

[soo-vuh-neer, soo-vuh-neer] / ˌsu vəˈnɪər, ˈsu vəˌnɪər /

noun

1. a usually small and relatively inexpensive article given, kept, or purchased as a reminder of a place visited, an occasion, etc.; memento.

   Synonyms:

   token, keepsake, reminder

2. a memory.

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souvenir British  

/ ˌsuːvəˈnɪə, ˈsuːvəˌnɪə /

noun

1. an object that recalls a certain place, occasion, or person; memento

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verb

1. euphemistic to steal or keep (something, esp a small article) for one's own use; purloin

Etymology

Origin of souvenir

1765–75; < French, noun use of ( se ) souvenir to remember < Latin subvenīre to come to mind, equivalent to sub- sub- + venīre to come

Explanation

A souvenir is a keepsake or a remembrance. A telltale sign that someone has visited Paris is the tiny, metal Eiffel Tower hanging from her keychain as a souvenir. First recorded in 1775 as meaning “a remembrance or memory,” the noun souvenir stems from the French souvenir “to remember, come to mind.” A few years later, it took on the sense of “a token” of an event or experience. A song by Tears for Fears goes, “Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear.” Here, souvenir refers to a feeling, but more often it refers to something tangible, like a memento, gift, or trophy.

Example Sentences

Souvenir shops would also sell trinkets and ceremonial goods commemorating Russian-Syrian military cooperation.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2024

Souvenir shops sell items that read, “Dunedin: the Riviera of the Antarctic” and “Dunedin: Bottom of the World.”

From Seattle Times • Jul. 30, 2023

My Soft Machine will be released in May, and the title comes from a line in Joanna Hogg's 2019 film The Souvenir, in which the phrase is used as a description for the human body.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2023

Joanna Hogg’s “The Eternal Daughter,” something of a sequel to her Souvenir films, stars Tilda Swinton in a canny double performance within a gothic tale of grief and artistic inspiration.

From Washington Post • Sep. 14, 2022

We need beach gear and, according to Olly, souvenirs, so we stop in a store called, helpfully, Maui Souvenir Shop and General Store.

From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon

Related Words

• gift
• memento
• relic
• trophy