Word of the Day

: September 23, 2010

reminisce

verb rem-uh-NISS

What It Means

: to indulge in the process or practice of thinking or telling about past experiences

reminisce in Context

She reminisced with old friends at her high school reunion.

"He reminisced about his grandma in the kitchen, early in the morning, stirring up her Cuban specialties and he would awake with his mouth watering to the aroma of her delicious cooking." -- From an article by Diann Greene in Georgia's Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, September 8, 2010

Did You Know?

"Reminisce" and its relative "reminiscence" come from the mind -- that is to say, they come from the Latin word for "mind," which is "mens." A root related to "mens" teamed up with the prefix "re-" to create the Latin verb "reminisci" ("to remember"), an ancestor of both words. "Reminisce" is one of several English verbs starting with "re-" that mean "to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind." Others in this group include "remember," "recall," "remind," and "recollect." "Reminisce" distinguishes itself from the others by implying a casual recalling of experiences long past, often with a sense of nostalgia as in our example sentences.

"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter -- 'tis the difference between the lighting bug and the lightning." -- Mark Twain

Pick the right word: For a discussion of "reminiscence" and its synonyms, see our entry for memory.