memento

[ muh-men-toh ]
See synonyms for memento on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural me·men·tos, me·men·toes.
  1. an object or item that serves to remind one of a person, past event, etc.; keepsake; souvenir.

  2. anything serving as a reminder or warning.

  1. (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.

Origin of memento

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin mementō, imperative of meminisse to remember

usage note For memento

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.

Words that may be confused with memento

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use memento in a sentence

  • Here we hoped to secure a few mementos of our visit to Stratford by motor car.

  • One of these rooms also contains many mementos of travel and sport in various climes.

  • My new nieces also seemed to partake of the same kind spirit, and gave us valuable mementos of their affection.

    Mary and I | Stephen Return Riggs
  • These lads had picked up shells on and beneath the dock to keep as mementos of the "Battle."

    The Everett massacre | Walker C. Smith
  • The mention of the bible, slippers and the other personal mementos had called up the dearest picture he ever knew.

    The Incendiary | W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy

British Dictionary definitions for memento

memento

/ (mɪˈmɛntəʊ) /


nounplural -tos or -toes
  1. something that reminds one of past events; souvenir

  2. RC Church either of two prayers occurring during the Mass

Origin of memento

1
C15: from Latin, imperative of meminisse to remember

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