keepsake

American  

[keep-seyk] / ˈkipˌseɪk /

noun

1. anything kept, or given to be kept, as a token of friendship or affection; remembrance.

   Synonyms:

   token, memento, souvenir

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keepsake British  

/ ˈkiːpˌseɪk /

noun

1. a gift that evokes memories of a person or event with which it is associated

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Etymology

Origin of keepsake

1780–90; keep (v.) + sake ¹

Example Sentences

And he pulled a slip of paper from his breast pocket and tucked it into my hand, saying something about how he wanted me to hold on to it as a keepsake.

From Literature

Families who had lived in Altadena for generations lost the keepsakes and records of their entire history; some lost neighbors or family who didn’t make it out.

From Los Angeles Times

During the studio tour, the artist pulled out a piece of brass wire bent to spell out her name, a keepsake from when she was 12.

From Los Angeles Times

They made casts of Teddy's hands and feet, and also spent time with him in the hospital's baby loss garden, pushing him in a pram donated to the suite along with clothes and keepsakes.

From BBC

“Everything we worked so hard for — every photograph, every keepsake, every piece of our lives — has vanished.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• memento
• relic
• souvenir
• trophy