memento mori

American  

[muh-men-toh mawr-ahy, mohr-ahy, mawr-ee, mohr-ee, me-men-toh moh-ree] / məˈmɛn toʊ ˈmɔr aɪ, ˈmoʊr aɪ, ˈmɔr i, ˈmoʊr i, mɛˈmɛn toʊ ˈmoʊ ri /

noun

plural

memento mori

1. (italics) remember that you must die.

2. an object, as a skull, serving as a reminder of death or mortality.

---

memento mori British  

/ ˈmɔːriː /

noun

1. an object, such as a skull, intended to remind people of the inevitability of death

---

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.

Etymology

Origin of memento mori

First recorded in 1585–95, memento mori is from Latin mementō morī

Example Sentences

Not even “Orange Grove Estates” as a memento mori.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2024

The intoning of memento mori seeds a joyful duty toward the pursuit of human longevity as an act of grateful humility before the wonder of life.

From Salon • Aug. 27, 2023

And in a revival, memento mori is always the premise.

From New York Times • Feb. 23, 2023

What she digitally collects aren't just innocuous mementos, but memento mori that will test her resolve and threaten her life.

From Salon • Jun. 19, 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

Related Words

• warning