memento

noun

me·​men·​to mə-ˈmen-(ˌ)tō How to pronounce memento (audio)
nonstandard
mō- How to pronounce memento (audio)
plural mementos or mementoes
: something that serves to warn or remind
a museum filled with war mementosLibby Lubin
also : souvenir
mementos of their travels

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

a collection of photographs and mementos It was a memento of our trip.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The book can in turn be a coffee table-ready memento of those adventures. David Bloom, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 Finn Wolfhard is eyeing a few mementos to commemorate his many years spent working on Stranger Things. Staff Author, EW.com, 14 Oct. 2024 Again, acid-free storage will always be the best solution to maintain mementos for generations to come. Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Oct. 2024 Now, Asheville Police Department is asking the public to help connect these precious mementos with their rightful owners. Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for memento 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin, remember, imperative of meminisse to remember; akin to Latin ment-, mens mind — more at mind

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of memento was in 1580

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Dictionary Entries Near memento

Cite this Entry

“Memento.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memento. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

memento

noun
me·​men·​to mi-ˈment-ō How to pronounce memento (audio)
plural mementos or mementoes
: something that serves to warn or remind
also : souvenir
mementos of a trip

More from Merriam-Webster on memento

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