memento
[ muh-men-toh ]
/ məˈmɛn toʊ /
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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Nearby words
membranous rhinitis, membranously, membrum, meme, memel, memento, memento mori, memling, memling, hans, memnon, memnonia
Origin of memento
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin mementō, imperative of meminisse to remember
Can be confusedmemento momentum
Usage note
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.
Definition for memento (2 of 2)
memento mori
[ muh-men-toh mawr-ahy, mohr-ahy, mawr-ee, mohr-ee; for 1 also Latin me-men-toh moh-ree ]
/ məˈmɛn toʊ ˈmɔr aɪ, ˈmoʊr aɪ, ˈmɔr i, ˈmoʊr i; for 1 also Latin mɛˈmɛn toʊ ˈmoʊ ri /
noun, plural memento mori for 2.
(italics) Latin. remember that you must die.
an object, as a skull, serving as a reminder of death or mortality.
Origin of memento mori
First recorded in 1585–95, memento mori is from the Latin word mementō morī
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for memento
British Dictionary definitions for memento (1 of 2)
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
British Dictionary definitions for memento (2 of 2)
memento mori
/ (ˈmɔːriː) /
noun
an object, such as a skull, intended to remind people of the inevitability of death
Word Origin for memento mori
C16: Latin: remember you must die
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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