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
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 8 July 2025
Some mementoes from these flights, and from the path that Ride — a physicist with a doctorate from Stanford University — took to the launch pad came up for auction last Thursday (June 26) in Los Angeles.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 6 July 2025
Treasured items like heirlooms and family mementos deserve a spotlight, so clearing clutter makes room to honor your personal history and pass down meaningful stories.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 29 June 2025
Sometimes, at these farewells, the Council gives its departing members a memento of sorts, perhaps a plaque of recognition.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 25 June 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 16 Jul. 2025.
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memento
noun
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