English
memento
Memento comes from Latin mementō ‘remember’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *men- ‘to think’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-‘to think’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*memóne‘to remember’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*memonai‘to remember, to be mindful’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmeminī‘to remember’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmementō‘remember’imperative form of meminī
- Englishearliest quotation 1944memento
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-‘to think’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*memóne‘to remember’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*memonai‘to remember, to be mindful’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmeminī‘to remember’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmementō‘remember’imperative form of meminī
- Englishearliest quotation 1944memento
Earliest quotation: 1944, and August, London Railway Stations in 1893: “In conclusion, I would remark that the great railway…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *men- ‘to think’
money, music, mind, amount, mouth, museum, remain, mountain, monster, min, comment, mount, permanent, auto, monitor, mental, monetary, monk, demonstration, maya, monastery, amnesty, mint, muse, mosaic, summon, ming, mas, mandarin, mania, monte, muster, monstrous, prominence, amnesia, manic, monument, imminent, mantra, mont, 125 more
through Proto-Indo-European *memóne ‘to remember’
through Latin meminī ‘to remember’
Today it means
noun A keepsake; an object kept as a reminder of a place or event.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *men- / memento