Word of the Day

: March 27, 2021

reminisce

verb rem-uh-NISS

What It Means

: to indulge in the process or practice of thinking or telling about past experiences

reminisce in Context

After the official reunion dinner, the old friends gathered at a pub to reminisce about their high school days, now long past.

"After seeing Giants 2020 first-round draft choice Patrick Bailey arrive for his first major league spring training, fellow catcher Buster Posey said he began reminiscing about his own debut camp in Scottsdale." — Kerry Crowley, The Mercury News (San Jose, California), 18 Feb. 2021

Did You Know?

Reminisce and its relative reminiscence come from the mind—that is to say, they come from the Latin word for "mind," which is mens. A root related to mens teamed up with the prefix re- to create the Latin verb reminisci ("to remember"), an ancestor of both words. Reminisce is one of several English verbs starting with re- that mean "to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind." Others in this group include remember, recall, remind, and recollect. Reminisce distinguishes itself from the others by implying a casual recalling of experiences long past, often with a sense of nostalgia.