Memorial
/məˈmɔːriəl/noun
Something intended to preserve the memory of a person, event, or idea.
Did you know?Its deepest ancestor is Latin *memor*, “mindful” or “remembering,” the same root behind words like *memory* and *remember*, showing how language itself can act like a ritual against oblivion.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mer-
“to remember, think of”
Latin
Latin
memor
“mindful, remembering”
Latin
Latin
memorialis
“serving to remind; commemorative”
Old French
Old French
memorial
“a memorial, record, or reminder”
Middle English
English
memorial
“a reminder or commemorative object”
Modern English
English
memorial
“something that preserves the memory of a person or event”