commemorate

[kuh-mem-uh-reyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR commemorate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), com·mem·o·rat·ed, com·mem·o·rat·ing.

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.

Origin of commemorate

1590–1600; < Latin commemorātus (past participle of commemorāre) to recall, put on record, equivalent to com- com- + memor mindful + -ātus -ate¹

Related formscom·mem·o·ra·ble, adjectivecom·mem·o·ra·tor, nounun·com·mem·o·rat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for commemorate

observe, memorialize, remember, celebrate, salute, perpetuate, immortalize, keep, admire, solemnize, monumentalize, monument

Examples from the Web for commemorate

Contemporary Examples of commemorate

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 Takedown
Lloyd 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 Set
Marlow Stern
December 9, 2014
Instead, the Giglese will commemorate the shipwreck with a prayer service on Jan. 13 every year, and nothing more.
Saying Goodbye to the Salvage Saviors of Giglio
Barbie Latza Nadeau
July 21, 2014
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 Anniversary
Malcolm Jones
May 26, 2014
Now, the date is used to commemorate those who have died in all conflicts.
William and Kate Bid Farewell To Australasia
Tom Sykes
April 24, 2014

Historical Examples of commemorate

These all commemorate, as it were, but the inception of the great discovery.
Christopher Columbus and His Monument Columbia
Various
A gold medal was struck off to commemorate the event; and Charles IX.
Henry IV, Makers of History
John S. C. Abbott
Is she ever ready to commemorate birthdays and family festivals?'
Lord Kilgobbin
Charles Lever
It is to commemorate some fellow who was killed here in '18.
The Fortunes Of Glencore
Charles James Lever
The House does well to pause in its deliberations to commemorate this anniversary.
Masterpieces of Negro Eloquence
Various

British Dictionary definitions for commemorate

commemorate

verb

(tr) to honour or keep alive the memory of

Derived Formscommemorative or commemoratory, adjectivecommemoratively, adverbcommemorator, noun

Word Origin for commemorate

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for commemorate

1590s, from Latin commemoratus, past participle of commemorare "bring to remembrance" (see commemoration). Related: Commemorated; commemorates; commemorating.