Commemorate
/kəˈmem.ə.reɪt/noun
To honor the memory of a person or event with a ceremony, memorial, or act of remembrance.
Did you know?The word ultimately goes back to Latin commemorāre, built from com- (“together, thoroughly”) + memorāre (“to remind, mention”), and its power is literally about making the past present again through speech.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mer-
“to be mindful, remember”
Latin
Latin
memor
“mindful, remembering”
Latin
Latin
memorāre
“to call to mind, mention, recount”
Latin
Latin
commemorāre
“to call to mind together; mention, remind, celebrate”
Middle English
English
commemoraten
“to keep in remembrance, observe ceremonially”
Modern English
English
commemorate
“to honor or preserve the memory of someone or something”