memento
noun
Libby Lubin
Did you know?
Memento comes from the imperative form of meminisse, a Latin verb that literally means "to remember." (The term memento mori, meaning "a reminder of mortality," translates as "remember that you must die.") The history of memento makes it clear where its spelling came from, but because a memento often helps one remember a particular moment, people occasionally spell the term momento. This is usually considered a misspelling, but it appears often enough in edited prose to have been entered in most dictionaries as an acceptable variant spelling.
Synonyms
Examples of memento in a Sentence
Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024
The glimpses of home-video footage under the end credits, of the filmmaker’s mother and herself at Mona’s age, are mementos of a time Niasari clearly treasures for all its hardship.
—Ty Burr, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024
Limited tickets are available for $150 each, and include parking, drinks and snacks, eclipse glasses and other mementos.
—Detroit Free Press, 26 Feb. 2024
No funeral and anything associated with, like, all my mementos and stuff.
—Dory Jackson, Peoplemag, 30 Jan. 2024
Earlier this week, Coppel, Pink’s manager Roger Davies and staff from Sony Music Australia and Live Nation presented the Philadelphia pop superstar with a special award, a memento of her latest recording-busting efforts.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 19 Mar. 2024
In fact, the home was inhabited quite differently by the physician and poet who commissioned it and for whom it is named: Dr. Edith Farnsworth—a lover of music and travel—enlivened her weekend house with eclectic furnishings and mementos that, in sum, were anything but minimal.
—Lauren Gallow, Robb Report, 17 Mar. 2024
Chef Paul Grosz recently shuffled through a handful of papers and uncovered a memento of his storied culinary past.
—Detroit Free Press, 5 Mar. 2024
Mourners filed past tables laden with memories: photos of Allen with his wife and their two young children, an Odessa High School wrestling singlet and headgear, a football jersey, mementos memorializing Allen’s career in law enforcement.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 8 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'memento.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Memento.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memento. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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memento
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on memento
Nglish: Translation of memento for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of memento for Arabic Speakers
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