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
Bryan West, The Tennessean, 1 Aug. 2025
The fountain itself has become the repository of memory, with mementoes and possessions of the missing and dead neatly arranged around the fountain.
—Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Plus, the process results in charming mementos, which actually look beautiful around your home.
—Izzy Baskette, People.com, 8 June 2025
Besides documents and patriotic mementos, the chest also contains the Tuesday, July 1, 2025 editions of the Pioneer Press and Star Tribune newspapers.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 1 July 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 19 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
memento
noun
Share