memorial

American  

[muh-mawr-ee-uhl, -mohr-] / məˈmɔr i əl, -ˈmoʊr- /

noun

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

2. 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.

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adjective

1. preserving the memory of a person or thing; commemorative.

   memorial services.

2. of or relating to the memory.

memorial British  

/ mɪˈmɔːrɪəl /

adjective

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

2. of or involving memory

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noun

1. something serving as a remembrance

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

3. an informal diplomatic paper

Other Word Forms

• memorially adverb

Etymology

Origin of memorial

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin memoriāle, noun use of neuter of Latin memoriālis for or containing memoranda. See memory, -al ¹

Example Sentences

A public memorial service for the victims is scheduled for Friday morning at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte.

From Los Angeles Times

Instead, attendees said, a memorial in Watts over the weekend for 94-year-old Earlene Curtis descended into chaos when Los Angeles police officers swarmed the block where the gathering took place.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2022, his Persian Gulf Cafe in Westwood was vandalized, its glass front door shattered, after he shared images on Instagram of a memorial at the cafe honoring Iranian women in anti-government protests that year.

From Los Angeles Times

The memorial in Los Angeles will be followed by another in Wisconsin at a later date.

From Los Angeles Times

McGuane, who herself left a memorial there after her brother died, compared it to the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• ceremony
• headstone
• mausoleum
• plaque
• remembrance
• statue
• tombstone