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
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
The one-of-a-kind memento comes in green, red, blue, white, sea foam or gray.
—Kim Foley MacKinnon, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
For years, his guitar hung over his bed like a memento from a past life.
—Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 12 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for memento 
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 5 Nov. 2024.
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memento
noun
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