memento

noun

me·​men·​to mə-ˈmen-(ˌ)tō 

nonstandard

mō- 

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

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.

Synonyms of memento

• reminder
• memorial
• souvenir

Examples of memento in a Sentence

a collection of photographs and mementos

It was a memento of our trip.

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s no harm in holding on to old photos and other mementos from your bygone days. — Barton Goldsmith, AJC.com, 23 Sep. 2026

The lobby is rich with family flavor, featuring awards bestowed on Formusa from the Italian government, historic photos, mementos and a wooden table displaying an array of current Marconi offerings, including its signature giardiniera. — Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

In the past weeks, Durbin had been searching through her Tampa home and storage unit for mementos from her mom, something to remind her of the strong woman who raised two girls alone and later cared for her grandson. — Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026

This fall, for the very first time, the parent company of the designer—who died in 2002 at the age of 79—is throwing open the Blass archives to auction a variety of designs, sketches, and mementos. — Laurie Brookins, Travel + Leisure, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin, remember, imperative of meminisse to remember; akin to Latin ment-, mens mind — more at mind

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing memento

• memento mori

Rhymes for memento

• convento
• momento
• pimento
• cento
• cinquecento
• movimento
• quattrocento
• risorgimento

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Kids Definition

memento

noun

me·​men·​to mi-ˈment-ō 

plural mementos or mementoes

: something that serves to warn or remind

also : souvenir

mementos of a trip