memento

noun

me·men·to mə-ˈmen-(ˌ)tō

nonstandard

mō-

plural mementos or mementoes

Synonyms of memento next

: something that serves to warn or remind

a museum filled with war mementos—

Libby 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.

This could be as simple as burning a letter or keeping a small personal memento of the relationship and then deciding to release it. —

Mark Travers, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024 Now, that kind of dining room seems like a memento from the past, says one of the UK’s most famous chefs, Jason Atherton. —

Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 19 Dec. 2024 Jim can’t wait to give Pam a teapot filled with thoughtful mementos and inside jokes; Kevin drew his own name and treated himself to a foot bath; Michael is bursting to give Ryan a brand-new video iPod, which at $400, goes significantly over the $20 limit. —

Elizabeth Entenman, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024 Kayce didn’t want any mementos, but Beth assured him that the ranch’s story was worth remembering — and Tate might want to know it someday. —

Charlie Mason, TVLine, 15 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for memento