memento
noun
Libby Lubin
Did you know?
In Latin, memento is the imperative form (meaning it is used as a command) of meminisse, a verb that means “to remember.” (The term memento mori, which refers to a reminder of mortality, translates literally as “remember that you must die,” for example). 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 typically considered a misspelling, but it appears often enough in edited prose (including the work of such esteemed authors as George Eliot and Dylan Thomas) to have been entered in most dictionaries as an acceptable variant spelling.
Examples of memento in a Sentence
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 28 Mar. 2025
There are still conversations to be had during this run for the record, Van Stone said, such as one about what mementos will be sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
—Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 17 Mar. 2025
Some of the most striking images bridge the living room’s public and private functions via still lifes of mementos carefully arranged for display and appliances wrapped in floral plastic slipcovers.
—Sukjong Hong, Curbed, 21 Feb. 2025
Shopping local along Lake Tahoe’s South Shore Remember your time in Lake Tahoe with a memento from a local shop.
—Visit Lake Tahoe, AFAR Media, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for memento
Cite this Entry
“Memento.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memento. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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memento
noun
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