memorial

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

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.

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 formsme·mo·ri·al·ly, adverb

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

Related Words for memorial

ceremony, tombstone, statue, remembrance, headstone, plaque, mausoleum, remembering, obelisk, shaft, relic, tablet, inscription, column, pillar, keepsake, souvenir, record, token, monolith

Examples from the Web for memorial

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of memorial

I forced the shirt on him, however, as a sort of memorial of me.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
The memorial of this excellent woman is short, but replete with instruction.
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. II
Francis Augustus Cox
Like Elizabeth, her "memorial" is short, but it does not "perish with her."
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. II
Francis Augustus Cox
Nelson soon assured the Austrian commander that this was not the object of his memorial.
The Life of Horatio Lord Nelson
Robert Southey
He was the first American writer who was honored by a memorial in Westminster Abbey.
Graded Poetry: Second Year
Various

British Dictionary definitions for memorial

memorial

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 Formsmemorially, 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

Word Origin and History for memorial

adj.

late 14c., "memorable, excellent; remembered, committed to memory," from Old French memorial "mindful of, remembering," from Latin memorialis (adj.) "of or belonging to memory," from memoria "memory" (see memory).

late 14c., "fame, renown, reputation," also "commemorative gesture, monument, or rite;" in general, "something by which the memory of a person, thing, or event is preserved," from Old French memorial "record, report," and directly from Late Latin memoriale "a memorial," noun use of neuter of Latin memorialis (adj.) "of or belonging to memory," from memoria "memory" (see memory). Meaning "memorial act, commemoration" is from mid-15c.