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definitions

commemorate

[ kuh-mem-uh-reyt ]
/ kəˈmɛm əˌreɪt /
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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.

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RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

  1. comme ci, comme ça,
  2. comme il faut,
  3. commeasurable,
  4. commeasure,
  5. commedia dell'arte,
  6. commemoration,
  7. commemorative,
  8. commemoratory,
  9. commen,
  10. commence

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

Examples from the Web for commemorate

British Dictionary definitions for commemorate

commemorate

/ (kəˈmɛməˌreɪt) /

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

commemorate

v.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper