definitions

memento

[ muh-men-toh ]
/ məˈmɛn toʊ /
|
SEE MORE 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.

RELATED CONTENT

The Original Memes (Before Memes)Memes captures the concept of “cultural transmission” of ideas. Which means they have been around as long as humans have.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

trophy, relic, keepsake, token, remembrance, reminder, vestige, memorial, trace, remembrancer

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 confused

memento 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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012