memento
Americannoun
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mementos,
plural
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mementoes
plural
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an object or item that serves to remind one of a person, past event, etc.; keepsake; souvenir.
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anything serving as a reminder or warning.
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(initial capital letter, italics) either of two prayers in the canon of the Mass, one for persons living and the other for persons dead.
noun
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something that reminds one of past events; souvenir
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RC Church either of two prayers occurring during the Mass
Spelling
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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of memento
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin mementō, imperative of meminisse to remember
Explanation
A memento is a keepsake of something you want to remember. You may keep photographs as a memento of a great family reunion — except for that one photo where Aunt Bonnie is wearing the lampshade and singing "Respect." No one wants to remember that! Memento is a Latin imperative that ordered people to "Remember!" People love to keep mementos from all sorts of things, including weddings, births, concerts, trips, holidays, and even school. You should be careful not to bore people with your mementos, however. Not everyone wants to see the ribbon you wore in your hair at the homecoming game, and your 8,000 pictures of your trip to Paris (Illinois, not the one in France) might be a bit over the top.
Vocabulary lists containing memento
The Westing Game
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myPerspectives 9.1
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Musty Dusty Words for National Old Stuff Day
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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.
See Examples For:
But auctioneer Jim Railton said the cow - part of a wider collection of sculptures - had failed to find a bidder and the comedian was set to keep it as a memento.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
“It’s a memento to a certain period of time,” said Arasheben, whose company is Jason of Beverly Hills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
A couple, out for a stroll, asked an AFP journalist to take a photo of them, a memento of a nice date back on their island home.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
His so-called “bone temple” is an actualization of his life philosophy, memento mori, which translates from Latin as “Remember you must die.”
From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2026
Some of them I’d taught how to write their names, so this is a real memento of my time here.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
And now, all of these years later, you feel ostracized from your remaining family and, more than that, you were left with a few mementoes of those formative years and no inheritance.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
She is moved by the sight of the mementoes left by other pilgrims at the foot of the cross and adds Tom and Lizzie’s things to the pile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
MV Hebridean Isles won a special place in the hearts of islanders during its many years of service, and numerous mementoes have been retained.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2025
It may keep mementoes of successes, souvenirs that mark important events, treasured valuable items and things that may seem mundane and trivial to some but give meaning to others.
From Salon ● Jan. 19, 2025
Tucked in between old woolen socks and pants were mementoes: circus bills, a dance card, penny postcards, a few photos.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Biles has also filled the home with more personal touches, particularly inside her private office, where she has begun displaying mementos from her decorated gymnastics career.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Many presidents, however, have given souvenirs or personal mementos to staff.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
“I wasn’t expecting an offer or anything,” Conlon said recently in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion office he has occupied for 20 years and laden with mementos soon to be boxed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
In his office are mementos his parents collected from reporting trips, including propaganda from Saddam Hussein-era Iraq.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026
We've got mementos around the house that remind us it was all real—photos of our family time at Camp David, handmade pots given to me by Native American students, a book signed by Nelson Mandela.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
