Etymograph

English

memory

Memory comes from Anglo-Norman memorie, from Latin memoria ‘memory’, from memor ‘mindful’, possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- ‘to remember’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)mer-‘to remember’uncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmemor‘mindful, remembering’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmemoria‘memory; remembrance’
  4. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400memorie
  5. Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606memory

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)mer-‘to remember’uncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmemor‘mindful, remembering’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmemoria‘memory; remembrance’
  4. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400memorie
  5. Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606memory

Earliest quotation: c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of King Lear: “These weeds are memories of those worser hours.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- ‘to fall into thinking, remember, care for’

merit, martyr, mourn, mer, moratorium, mora, 18 more

through Latin memor ‘mindful, remembering’

remember, 5 more

through Latin memoria ‘the faculty of remembering, remembrance,…’

memoir, 1 more

Today it means

noun The ability of the brain to record information or impressions with the facility of recalling them later, usually at will.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- / memory

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