memorial

[ muh-mawr-ee-uh l, -mohr- ]

/ məˈmɔr i əl, -ˈmoʊr- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR memorial ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc., as a monument or a holiday.

a written statement of facts presented to a sovereign, a legislative body, etc., as the ground of, or expressed in the form of, a petition or remonstrance.

adjective

preserving the memory of a person or thing; commemorative: memorial services.

of or relating to the memory.

Nearby words

memorabiliast, memorable, memorandum, memorandum of understanding, memoria technica, memorial, memorial day, memorial park, memorialist, memorialize, memoried

Origin of memorial

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin memoriāle, noun use of neuter of Latin memoriālis for or containing memoranda. See memory, -al¹

Related forms

me·mo·ri·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for memorial

And if you want proof of what the country is really all about, just walk through the National September 11 Memorial Museum.
Dick Cheney vs. ‘Unbroken’|Mike Barnicle|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Will and Kate will start with a visit to the 9/11 Memorial downtown, and end with a monster fundraiser at the Met.
When Your Royalty Met Ours: Kate Meets Bey Courtside|Tom Sykes|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The memorial service is one thing England still knows how to do far better than any other nation.
Churchill’s Secret Treasures for Sale: A British PM’s Life on the Auction Block|Tom Teodorczuk|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A memorial service will be held in Latina Friday, November 28th, 2014.
Days of Mafia Mayhem Are Wracking Italy Once Again|Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Down below, the cops had closed off the two memorial pools that mark the footprints of the towers that once stood there.
Rescue at One World Trade Center|Michael Daly|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He thought that no objection had been offered of any force to prevent the commitment of the memorial.
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. I (of 16)|Thomas Hart Benton
For a memorial to Gordon, $500,000 was enthusiastically raised in England.
History Of Egypt From 330 B.C. To The Present Time, Volume 12 (of 12)|S. Rappoport
"There is the token that I was a lawful wife; and there, also, a memorial that I was a—" She paused.
The Fortunes of Hector O'Halloran, And His Man Mark Antony O'Toole|W. H. Maxwell
Sometime afterwards she thought of putting up a memorial to him on the little ranch where he had hoped to spend many happy years.
The Life of Mrs. Robert Louis Stevenson|Nellie van De Grift Sanchez
But the real author of the memorial is believed to have been Kido, the brain of the Restoration.
The Constitutional Development of Japan 1863-1881|Toyokichi Iyenaga

British Dictionary definitions for memorial

memorial

/ (mɪˈmɔːrɪəl) /

adjective

serving to preserve the memory of the dead or a past event

of or involving memory

noun

something serving as a remembrance

a written statement of facts submitted to a government, authority, etc, in conjunction with a petition

an informal diplomatic paper

Derived Forms

memorially, adverb

Word Origin for memorial

C14: from Late Latin memoriāle a reminder, neuter of memoriālis belonging to remembrance

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