memento mori
Americannoun
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(italics) remember that you must die.
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an object, as a skull, serving as a reminder of death or mortality.
noun
Usage
What does memento mori mean? Memento mori is a Latin phrase that translates to "remember you must die."A memento mori is something, historically a skull, that serves as a reminder of death and mortality.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of memento mori
First recorded in 1585–95, memento mori is from Latin mementō morī
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His first book, “Lessons and Carols,” was published in 2023, and his second book, a digital memento mori, is expected in 2026.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
Kelson’s memento mori, in its way, adds dignity to what is otherwise a sentence to nothingness.
From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026
Not even “Orange Grove Estates” as a memento mori.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2024
As with Dutch memento mori, this too is vanity: After he shot his pictures, the fish were thrown away and doused with bleach to deter scavengers.
From New York Times • Jun. 24, 2022
My life is like a memento mori painting from European art: there is always a grinning skull at my side to remind me of the folly of human ambition.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
