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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.

Examples of memento in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web For a less-lasting memento of your visit, try the blue corn griddle cakes from Indian Pueblo Kitchen which are also made using quinoa, amaranth, currants, piñon, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. — Chadd Scott, Forbes, 2 May 2022 Back in October 2020, Kaley and Zosia got matching paper airplane tattoos as a memento of their time together on the show. — Rebecca Norris, Good Housekeeping, 29 Apr. 2022 She also is expected to bring them a memento from the flight, Monte Ochoa said. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2022 Kotsay gripped it in his left hand, a memento of his first win as a major-league manager. — Matt Kawahara, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Apr. 2022 McCrary, drummer Daru Jones and bassist Dominic Davis made a tight, lean combo with White, while a masked mannequin in back was a memento of the moment. — Brian Mccollum, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2022 As a lasting memento of the nation’s gratitude, veterans will receive a Presidential proclamation, a Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin, and a Certificate of Distinction from the Town of Somers. — courant.com, 16 Mar. 2022 Instead of keeping a paper memento to commemorate the occasion like in the past, the winners receive an NFT to validate their travel date. — Geoff Whitmore, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2022 The creations give them a memento to hold onto after this experience and use during challenging times. — Alex Wagner, SPIN, 2 Mar. 2022 See More

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.