Standard Lemma guide

memento

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /məˈmɛntoʊ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛntəʊ
  • CMU ARPABET: M IH0 M EH1 N T OW0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A keepsake; an object kept as a reminder of a place or event.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I kept the shell as a memento of my visit to the seashore.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a reminder of past events

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: souvenir

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: reminder

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin mementō (“remember”), imperative form of meminī (“to remember”).

Across languages

Translations

49 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: сувені́р (suvjenír) — a keepsake
  • Belarusian: сувэні́р (suvenír) — a keepsake
  • Bulgarian: спо́мен (spómen) — a keepsake
  • Bulgarian: сувени́р (suvenír) — a keepsake
  • Chinese Mandarin: 紀念品 /纪念品 (jìniànpǐn) — a keepsake
  • Esperanto: memoraĵo — a keepsake
  • Finnish: muisto — a keepsake
  • Finnish: muistoesine — a keepsake
  • French: souvenir — a keepsake
  • German: Andenken — a keepsake
  • German: Erinnerung — a keepsake
  • German: Mahnzeichen — a keepsake
  • Central Franconian: Aadenke — a keepsake
  • Greek: ενθύμιο (enthýmio) — a keepsake
  • Hungarian: mementó — a keepsake
  • Hungarian: emlékeztető — a keepsake
  • Icelandic: minjagripur — a keepsake
  • Icelandic: minningargripur — a keepsake
  • Indonesian: kenang-kenangan — a keepsake
  • Irish: cuimhneachán — a keepsake
  • Italian: memento — a keepsake
  • Italian: ricordo — a keepsake
  • Japanese: 記念品 (kinenhin) — a keepsake
  • Japanese: メメント (memento) — a keepsake
  • Japanese: 記念物 (kinenbutsu) — a keepsake
  • Korean: 기념품 (ginyeompum) — a keepsake
  • Korean: 기념물 (ginyeommul) — a keepsake
  • Māori: manatunga — a keepsake
  • Norwegian: minne — a keepsake
  • Persian: یادگاری (yâdegâri) — a keepsake
  • Persian: یادبود (yâdbud) — a keepsake
  • Plautdietsch: Denkjmol — a keepsake
  • Plautdietsch: Aunjedenkj — a keepsake
  • Portuguese: lembrancinha — a keepsake
  • Portuguese: recordação — a keepsake
  • Portuguese: lembrança — a keepsake
  • Russian: сувени́р (suvenír) — a keepsake
  • Scottish Gaelic: cuimhneachan — a keepsake
  • Serbo-Croatian: мементо — a keepsake
  • Serbo-Croatian: у̏спомена — a keepsake
  • Serbo-Croatian: memento m ȕspomena — a keepsake
  • Spanish: recuerdo — a keepsake
  • Tocharian B: epyacäññe — a keepsake
  • Turkish: andaç — a keepsake
  • Turkish: anı — a keepsake
  • Turkish: hatıra — a keepsake
  • Turkish: yadigâr — a keepsake
  • Ukrainian: сувені́р (suvenír) — a keepsake
  • Ukrainian: па́м'ятка (pámʺjatka) — a keepsake