commemorate
[kuh-mem-uh-reyt]
- to serve as a memorial or reminder of: The monument commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
- to honor the memory of by some observance: to commemorate the dead by a moment of silence; to commemorate Bastille Day.
- to make honorable mention of.
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Origin of commemorate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for commemorate
Contemporary Examples
At one point, Turness suggested that Gregory have a live band close out the show to commemorate the death of Nelson Mandela.
David Gregory's 'Meet the Press' Eviction Exposed in Washingtonian TakedownLloyd Grove
December 23, 2014
So, to commemorate her 75th birthday, the two got matching butterfly tattoos on their wrists.
Masters of Alt Sex: SuicideGirls Hits Puberty and Wants to Invade Your TV SetMarlow Stern
December 9, 2014
Instead, the Giglese will commemorate the shipwreck with a prayer service on Jan. 13 every year, and nothing more.
Nearly 10,000 people, most of them freedmen, gathered in the freshly landscaped burial ground to commemorate the dead.
The Real Memorial Day: Oliver Wendell Holmes's Salute To A Momentous American AnniversaryMalcolm Jones
May 26, 2014
Now, the date is used to commemorate those who have died in all conflicts.
Historical Examples
These all commemorate, as it were, but the inception of the great discovery.
A gold medal was struck off to commemorate the event; and Charles IX.
Henry IV, Makers of HistoryJohn S. C. Abbott
Is she ever ready to commemorate birthdays and family festivals?'
Lord KilgobbinCharles Lever
It is to commemorate some fellow who was killed here in '18.
The Fortunes Of GlencoreCharles James Lever
The House does well to pause in its deliberations to commemorate this anniversary.
commemorate
- (tr) to honour or keep alive the memory of
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin commemorāre be mindful of, from com- (intensive) + memorāre to remind, from memor mindful
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for commemorate
v.
1590s, from Latin commemoratus, past participle of commemorare "bring to remembrance" (see commemoration). Related: Commemorated; commemorates; commemorating.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper