Standard Lemma guide

memorandum

noun · 5 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.

  • /ˌmɛm.əˈɹæn.dəm/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M EH2 M ER0 AE1 N D AH0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A short note serving as a reminder.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A written business communication.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A brief diplomatic communication.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A page in an annual publication honoring the memory of a person who died during the past year.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a written proposal or reminder

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: memo, memoranda

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: note

Narrower terms: aide-memoire, position paper

History

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin memorandum, neuter of memorandus (“to be remembered”).

Across languages

Translations

81 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُذَكِرَة (muḏakirah) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Bulgarian: беле́жка (beléžka) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Bulgarian: запи́ска (zapíska) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Chinese Mandarin: 備忘錄 /备忘录 (bèiwànglù) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Estonian: meelespea — short note serving as a reminder
  • Finnish: muistio — short note serving as a reminder
  • French: mémorandum — short note serving as a reminder
  • German: Memorandum — short note serving as a reminder
  • Greek: μνημόνιο (mnimónio) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Greek: υπόμνημα (ypómnima) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Ancient Greek: ὑπόμνημα (hupómnēma) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Hindi: याददाश्त (yāddāśt) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Japanese: メモ (memo) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Japanese: 備忘録 (bibōroku) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Japanese: 忘備録 (bōbiroku) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Korean: 비망록 (bimangnok) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Korean: 메모 (memo) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Macedonian: бе́лешка (béleška) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Macedonian: за́писка (zápiska) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Norwegian: promemoria — short note serving as a reminder
  • Polish: notatka — short note serving as a reminder
  • Polish: zapisek — short note serving as a reminder
  • Portuguese: lembrete — short note serving as a reminder
  • Russian: заме́тка (zamétka) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Russian: запи́ска (zapíska) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Russian: мемора́ндум (memorándum) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Scottish Gaelic: cuimhneachan — short note serving as a reminder
  • Sindhi: ياداشاتنامو (yādāśātnāmo) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Spanish: memorándum — short note serving as a reminder
  • Spanish: memorando — short note serving as a reminder
  • Swedish: promemoria — short note serving as a reminder
  • Tagalog: paandam — short note serving as a reminder
  • Tagalog: sulat-paalaala — short note serving as a reminder
  • Turkish: muhtıra — short note serving as a reminder
  • Ottoman Turkish: تذكره (tezkere) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Ottoman Turkish: پوصوله (pusula) — short note serving as a reminder
  • Welsh: cofnod — short note serving as a reminder
  • Chinese Mandarin: 備忘錄 /备忘录 (bèiwànglù) — written business communication
  • Dutch: notitie — written business communication
  • Finnish: muistio — written business communication
  • French: mémorandum — written business communication
  • German: Memorandum — written business communication
  • Greek: μνημόνιο (mnimónio) — written business communication
  • Greek: υπόμνημα (ypómnima) — written business communication
  • Hindi: ज्ञापन (jñāpan) — written business communication
  • Japanese: 覚書 (oboegaki) — written business communication
  • Korean: 비망록 (bimangnok) — written business communication
  • Portuguese: memorando — written business communication
  • Russian: служе́бная запи́ска (služébnaja zapíska) — written business communication
  • Russian: докладна́я запи́ска (dokladnája zapíska) — written business communication
  • Russian: докладна́я (dokladnája) — written business communication
  • Sindhi: ياداشاتنامو (yādāśātnāmo) — written business communication
  • Spanish: memorándum — written business communication
  • Spanish: memorando — written business communication
  • Tagalog: paandam — written business communication
  • Armenian: հուշագիր (hušagir) — brief diplomatic communication
  • Belarusian: мемара́ндум (mjemarándum) — brief diplomatic communication
  • Belarusian: мэмара́ндум (memarándum) — brief diplomatic communication
  • Belarusian: но́та (nóta) — brief diplomatic communication
  • Bulgarian: но́та (nóta) — brief diplomatic communication
  • Chinese Mandarin: 照會 /照会 (zhàohuì) — brief diplomatic communication
  • Finnish: muistio — brief diplomatic communication
  • French: mémorandum — brief diplomatic communication
  • German: Memorandum — brief diplomatic communication
  • Greek: μνημόνιο (mnimónio) — brief diplomatic communication
  • Greek: υπόμνημα (ypómnima) — brief diplomatic communication
  • Hindi: ज्ञापन (jñāpan) — brief diplomatic communication
  • Japanese: 覚書 (oboegaki) — brief diplomatic communication
  • Macedonian: но́та (nóta) — brief diplomatic communication
  • Macedonian: мемора́ндум (memorándum) — brief diplomatic communication
  • Polish: memorandum — brief diplomatic communication
  • Portuguese: memorando — brief diplomatic communication
  • Russian: мемора́ндум (memorándum) — brief diplomatic communication
  • Russian: но́та (nóta) — brief diplomatic communication
  • Sindhi: ياداشاتنامو (yādāśātnāmo) — brief diplomatic communication
  • Spanish: memorándum — brief diplomatic communication
  • Spanish: memorando — brief diplomatic communication
  • Swedish: promemoria — brief diplomatic communication
  • Tagalog: paandam — brief diplomatic communication
  • Ukrainian: мемора́ндум (memorándum) — brief diplomatic communication
  • Ukrainian: но́та (nóta) — brief diplomatic communication
Real reading context

memorandum in complete knowledge articles