memento

[ muh-men-toh ]

/ məˈmɛn toʊ /

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See synonyms for memento on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural me·men·tos, me·men·toes.

an object or item that serves to remind one of a person, past event, etc.; keepsake; souvenir.

anything serving as a reminder or warning.

(initial capital letter, italics)Roman Catholic Church. either of two prayers in the canon of the Mass, one for persons living and the other for persons dead.

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Origin of memento

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin mementō, imperative of meminisse to remember

usage note for memento

Memento is sometimes spelled momento, perhaps by association with moment. The word is actually related to remember. One of its earliest meanings was “something that serves to warn.” The meaning “souvenir” is a recent development: The stone animal carvings are mementos of our trip to Victoria. Momento is considered by many to be a misspelling, but it occurs so frequently in edited writing that some regard it as a variant spelling rather than an error.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH memento

memento , momentum

Words nearby memento

membranous labyrinth, meme, me-media, memeify, Memel, memento, memento mori, Memling, Memnon, Memnonia, memo

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use memento in a sentence

Now running her own lab at Calico, Sidrauski has a memento—a gift from the art studio of her mentor Walter, who’s an amateur sculptor.
The miracle molecule that could treat brain injuries and boost your fading memory|Adam Piore|August 25, 2021|MIT Technology Review
A travel journal allows you to jot down the subtle details that resonate with you and store random mementos without weighing down your bag.
How to choose the best notebook|Natasha Roy|August 19, 2021|Popular-Science
As he sorted through the household goods, stuffed animals and personal mementos, he remembers feeling sad — especially when he found documents belonging to the original owner.
A teen buys repossessed storage units at auction, then gives the contents back to the original owners|Cathy Free|June 16, 2021|Washington Post
Over the past 20 years, I have collected souvenirs around the world, from Sydney to Buenos Aires — tins, glasses, foreign-language books, mementos from restaurants and bars, mustard pots, corks, beermats, even checks from memorable meals.
Mementos from around the world remind this writer of what he loves most about travel: Food.|Will Hawkes|March 26, 2021|Washington Post

The instinct to hold on to mementos of even the most awful and trying events is human.
Some objects will remind us of the pandemic long after it’s over|Theresa Vargas|February 17, 2021|Washington Post
He looks a bit like B̶r̶a̶d̶ ̶P̶i̶t̶t̶ Guy Pearce in Memento at this stage.
Harry Styles Watches The Boxing In The Nude: PIC|Tom Sykes|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I watched as each reached up to the press box, memento in hand.
Figure Skater Michelle Kwan Chases Gold in Rhode Island’s Gubernatorial Race|Nicholas McCarvel|April 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She was now wearing an equally prized memento on the chest of her dress uniform.
NYPD’s New Cops Sworn In at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center|Michael Daly|July 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Sandra McElwaine previews the loot, from a Cuban Missile Crisis memento to notes from the first lady.
On the Block: Letters From Jackie|Sandra McElwaine|October 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
They offered tea, a smoke, and an Egyptian flag as a memento.
Fire In Cairo: A View From the Arab Street|John Kael Weston|September 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Not only as 454 a memento of you, but as a perpetual encouragement to do better with his Lordship.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson
I could barely reach one little twig of pale, discolored leaves, to bring home as a memento.
St. Nicholas, Vol. 5, No. 5, March, 1878|Various
It would be novel, economical, and moral; a kind of memento mori—a death's head at the feast!
A Charming Fellow, Volume II (of 3)|Frances Eleanor Trollope
Of this a very few instances, more by way of memento than of instruction, may suffice.
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive|John Stuart Mill
If he had been the General, he would have had the trees hewn down after the trial, and done away with every memento of the place.
A Life Sentence|Adeline Sergeant

British Dictionary definitions for memento

memento

/ (mɪˈmɛntəʊ) /

noun plural -tos or -toes

something that reminds one of past events; souvenir

RC Church either of two prayers occurring during the Mass

Word Origin for memento

C15: from Latin, imperative of meminisse to remember

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

memento

Origin of memento

usage note for memento

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH memento

Words nearby memento

Words related to memento

How to use memento in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for memento

Word Origin for memento