English Reference
Noun

memento

n.
C1 Advanced US /mɪˈmɛntoʊ/ UK /məmˈɛntəʊ/ me·men·to UK spelling mementoes, mementos

n.an object that you keep to remind you of a person or a special event.

n.an object kept as a reminder of a person or event. Often used in the plural to refer to a collection of such items.


SIMPLE

He keeps a small stone as a memento of his trip.

CONTEXTUAL

The old photo frame was a memento of her childhood, reminding her of the house she grew up in.

COMPLEX

The museum's collection of wartime letters serves as a powerful memento of the era's social upheaval, preserving the personal voices of those who lived through it.

Many presidents, however, have given souvenirs or personal mementos to staff.

BBC News· 9 Sept 2026

It was reported that Mercury’s sister, Kashmira, anonymously spent £3m buying back family mementoes.

The Guardian· 1 Sept 2026

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

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin mementō
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated