mnemonic

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adjective

mne·mon·ic ni-ˈmä-nik

: assisting or intended to assist memory

To distinguish "principal" from "principle" use the mnemonic aid "the principal is your pal."

also : of or relating to mnemonics

: of or relating to memory

mnemonic skill

mnemonically

ni-ˈmä-ni-k(ə-)lē

adverb

mnemonic

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Need a mnemonic device to remember how to spell mnemonic? Although the word’s pronunciation begins with an n sound, the spelling begins with an m, as in memory. There are very few English words that start this way (mnestic and mnioid are two others), and as with similar Latin and Greek borrowings such as pneumonia, we retained the double initial consonant but not the pronunciation. In addition to its adjectival use, mnemonic is also a noun used to refer to a mnemonic device, such as the famous—or infamous—spelling dictum “I before E, except after C,” which isn't consistently helpful (just ask your neighbor to weigh in on it).

Example Sentences

Noun HOMES is used as a mnemonic for the names of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

For starters, lists are mnemonic, gathering things to remember, and also judgmental, asserting what’s worth remembering. —

Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2022 My alliterative schema for the various listening environments, designed to be annoyingly mnemonic, is corner, club, cathedral, and cocoon. —

Sasha Frere-jones, Harper’s Magazine , 9 Nov. 2022 The International Astronomical Union even formally recognizes the latter mnemonic device, while also pointing out the five dwarf planets that exist among the eight major ones. —

Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2022 The teaser uses music as both a source of emotional connection and as a mnemonic device. —

Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 26 July 2022 An easy way to remember migraine prevention techniques is through the mnemonic device SEEDS. —

Carly Vandergriendt, SELF, 19 May 2022 Its name is a mnemonic identify threats based on the following categories: Spoofing, Tampering, Repudiation, Information disclosure, Denial of service and Elevation of privilege. —

Barbara Cosgriff, Forbes, 6 May 2022 Restoring Indigenous place names restores mnemonic and spiritual connections among place, culture and ancestral knowledge. —

Bonnie Mcgill, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2022 Utilizing a mnemonic learning device in her Earth Science course, Lusby-Brown incorporated visual, auditory and interactive components to teach her students about the different celestial bodies of the solar system. —

C.r. Walker, chicagotribune.com, 28 Feb. 2022

Noun

Students at Bread for the City’s organizing institute are introduced to a mnemonic for structuring their approach, CEVA, which stands for connect, engage, vision and ask. —

John Kelly, Washington Post, 21 Dec. 2022 Eyüp sat in front of me, framed against a background of flower sellers and A.T.M.s, a mnemonic in the flesh. —

New York Times, 12 May 2022 Not only was the whine agitating—EHHNNNNNNNN—but its constant drone was like a cruel mnemonic for everything that bothered him. —

Bianca Bosker, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2019 The mnemonic that emergency room doctors use to quickly evaluate patients is A.B.C. — airway, breathing, circulation. —

New York Times, 9 Aug. 2019 This mnemonic may unwittingly exploit the fact that the hippocampus encodes both location information and autobiographical memories. —

Quanta Magazine, 7 Oct. 2014 Another hint that websites can offer is what Dr. Juang calls a visual mnemonic—a simple drawing that suggests to the user what their passphrase is. —

Henry Williams, WSJ, 18 Sep. 2018 Which seems to me like the ultimate takeaway: Google doesn't need to engineer mnemonics into its 2FA codes. —

Robbie Gonzalez, WIRED, 21 Apr. 2018 Earl helped her fellow students break down the biological processes into mnemonics that would help them remember. —

Karen Herzog, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 16 Jan. 2018 See More

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