memento

noun me·men·to \ mə-ˈmen-(ˌ)tō , nonstandard mō- \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of memento

plural mementos or mementoes

: something that serves to warn or remind

a museum filled with war mementos
—Libby Lubin

also : souvenir

mementos of their travels

See memento defined for English-language learners

See memento defined for kids

memento was our Word of the Day on 10/07/2012. Hear the podcast!

Examples of memento in a Sentence

a collection of photographs and mementos
It was a memento of our trip.

Recent Examples of memento from the Web

There will be a selfie station with props so passengers can snap a celebratory photo as a memento.

— sarah brookbank, Cincinnati.com, "Frontier launches 5 new flights at CVG this week," 9 Apr. 2018
Lewis took some rocks as mementos because the creek is near where his family lived in 1936.

— shondiin silversmith, azcentral, "Confronting the past: A young man tries to understand the lynching of his great-grandfather," 4 Apr. 2018
Some family members, such as Lyle Taylor of Dallas, have a few photographs and mementos to remember him by.

— salem statesman journal, OregonLive.com, "Remains of Marine killed in WWII heading home to Oregon," 4 Apr. 2018
But rather than coming from ancient times, these mementos are recent tributes in response to tragedies that are becoming all too familiar.

— janine eduljee, NBC News, "Museums across the nation work to archive mementos of grief left after shootings," 24 Mar. 2018
During your visit, take home a memento from the on-site gift shop. 5.

— jennifer franklin, USA TODAY, "10 must-see sights at this historic under-the-radar gem," 21 Mar. 2018
There’s also a nice blend of nostalgia with the old Olympia sign mounted on a brick wall and all kinds of mementos, right down to Dave DeBusschere’s Chuck Taylor high-tops.

— carlos monarrez, Detroit Free Press, "Little Caesars Arena in Year 1: Attendance up but winning would endear fans," 21 Mar. 2018
Earlier, the designer shared a memento from her Spice Girls days—a frozen SPICE pizza unearthed from the back of her mum's freezer.

— julie kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Victoria Beckham Takes on the Treadmill Desk in 5-Inch Heels," 14 Mar. 2014
Among the items for auction were kitchen equipment and furniture, but also mementos, such as wall art, a Steinway piano and the restaurant’s signs.

— jordan otero sisson, Courant Community, "Apricots Equipment Auctioned Off; Wood-n-Tap To Move In," 21 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'memento.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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." That second version is usually considered a misspelling, but it appears often enough in edited prose to have been considered acceptable for entry in Webster's Third New International Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary.